Girls U13, U15 and U17 Mid-Term Clinics

As Level 5 hit, plenty of people’s plans had to be cancelled, but outdoor cricket training in pods no greater than 15 for people of school-going age was still allowed. So for the first time during the Halloween break, Cricket Leinster ran two, two-day camps for our U13, U15 and U17 squads – one northside and one southside. This enabled players to travel as short a distance as possible to attend their camp. This was done, of course, with strict adherence to health and safety guidelines and in line with the rules of the current lockdown.

For the first two days, our U13, U15 and U17 girls were invited to attend sessions held in Merrion Cricket Club, while the following two days were held in Ringcommons Cricket Club on the northside although poor weather meant that the last day of camp was moved to the following weekend. Our huge thanks to both clubs for facilitating these sessions.

Usually we would run these camps indoors due to cold and wet weather but this year that wasn’t possible. Training outdoors did not deter the girls who were delighted to be back playing some cricket. They worked on some fundamental skills focusing on technique in catching, bowling and batting as well as learning how to do the ‘army roll’ diving technique. We hope not too many car interiors were ruined by mucky, wet passengers!

Our aim was to make sure that players thought about their game and tried different things in the winter months which is the ideal time to make technical changes if those are needed. It was also to keep the players engaged with cricket and with each other in the winter months and indeed, during covid times.

Once restrictions are lifted, Cricket Leinster hopes to return to normal programming for winter indoor sessions but in the meantime, we will continue to think outside the box to ensure our youth players can continue to develop their cricket skills.