Actonians Cricket Club

JUNIOR CRICKET AT ACTONIANS

New boys and girls welcome.

 For further information on joining our junior section please contact Clifford Pile - clifford.pile@ntlworld.com 

FEEDBACK FROM 2025

CHANCE TO SHINE/SCHOOLS OUTREACH - We absolutely love having the coach come in to our school. His sessions are always engaging and fun. The children look forward to his sessions every week.

CHANCE TO SHINE/SCHOOLS OUTREACH - Our children look forward to the inclusive and informative lessons. The coach’s knowledge on the subject is unmatched and his passion for cricket really shines through.

CHANCE TO SHINE/SCHOOLS OUTREACH - Some quotes from the children –

“I loved the learning how to hold the bat, and bat correctly.” Y3 Girl

“I liked learning how to catch the ball properly. I think I got much better at catching even just in that lesson.” Y3 Girl

“I loved that we got to play an actual cricket match.”

“The best bit was learning the rules of the game and shouting ‘How’s that?’”

ALL STARS - It has been such good fun getting involved and watching **** progress with his cricket skills. Thank you to you and all of the staff that have made every session so fun and engaging!

ALL STARS - ****** is enjoying All Stars cricket and making good progress.

ALL STARS - He’s had a lovely time and learned loads

ALL STARS - Thanks for a wonderful summer - ****** really enjoyed the All Stars and the subsequent sessions

UNDER 11 - Thank you for all the hard work over the season. ****** is looking forward to winter training and the next season already!

UNDER 11 - I wanted to say a big thank you for all you do. ***** has developed a HUGE love for cricket and he has benefitted so much from Actonians. It all started because you introduced the sport to him at **** Primary School and were so welcoming to us when we first turned up at the club. 

UNDER 12 - Thanks for a great season, ***** has loved it and has really improved, it's much appreciated 

UNDER 14 - I just wanted to say thank you and all the coaches for making ****** welcome, he has very much enjoyed his introduction to cricket.

UNDER 15 - Thank you to the coaches for all your hard work with the boys again over the summer. They have both really enjoyed it and feel part of a great club. 

Middlesex in the Community 2024

Outstanding Contribution – Services to Coaching Award - Clifford Pile. The panel noted that, whilst there are many outstanding contributors to coaching in other clubs and communities, Clifford's contribution stood out.

Junior Club of the Year - recognising our work in encouraging children from all backgrounds to develop and grow their love of cricket

Coach of the Year - Bobby Behzadi - acknowledging his ability to create an inspiring environment for children to both participate and gain confidence through cricket.

We are running a full programme of cricket activity this winter:-

1. Softball sessions for all of our All Stars and boys and girls aged Under 10 and below who are not yet confident playing with and against a hardball.
2. Hardball sessions for boys and girls – nets and training. We will be joined by Huw Jones, the senior club coach, who will be helping with Specialist Coaching for the whole group
3. We have also entered the indoor competitions for our Under 11 boys, Under 13 boys, Under 15 boys and Under 13 girls – matches will be on Sunday afternoons at Gunnersbury Park Sports Hub.

Please remember that for training and indoor league participation the age qualification is as at 31^st August 2025 – so for example this summer’s Under 12’s have now ‘moved up’ and would play in the Under 13 competition.

WINTER TRAINING - SOFTBALL OPTION (Reynolds Sports Centre)

Suitable for all of our All Stars and Under 9’s and Under 10’s (boys and girls) who are not yet confident playing with and against a hardball. Starting on Saturday 8^th November 2025 through to Saturday 11^th April 2026. 2pm to 3pm.

Each session will last 1 hour and will include some technical work on batting and bowling, elements of fielding and each session will finish with a mini-match - hopefully by attending these sessions you will not only have a great time but also see a benefit come the start of the outdoor season in April. 

Cost = £8.00 per session.

Please complete and return the form below to me at clifford.pile@ntlworld.com

SOFTBALL BOOKING FORM

So that everyone can have an enjoyable experience we will be restricting numbers to 16 participants per session. Places to be reserved on a first come, first served basis. Payment must be made at time of booking. Refunds will only be available if at least 48 hours’ notice is given i.e. by Wednesday evening and we can fill that spot.

WINTER TRAINING - HARDBALL OPTION (Reynolds Sports Centre)

Open to Boys and Girls. Each session will last 2 hours and include some technical work, elements of fielding and cricket fitness as well as a mixture of indoor games and nets. Starting on Saturday 8^th November 2025 through to Saturday 11^th April 2026. 3pm to 5pm.

Huw Jones, the senior club coach, will be leading the sessions. Huw is a qualified ECB coach and has both played and coached cricket in England, Australia, South Africa, Uganda, India and USA. Huw captained Ealing to the National T20 Club title in 2015 and has coached cricketers of all ages for over 17 years.

Cost = £10.00 per session.

Please complete and return the form below to me at clifford.pile@ntlworld.com

HARDBALL BOOKING FORM

So that everyone can have an enjoyable experience we will be restricting numbers to 18 participants per session. Some weeks will be set aside for Indoor League practice sessions when priority for bookings will be given to those participating in the indoor league. Otherwise places to be reserved on a first come, first served basis. Payment must be made at time of booking. Refunds will only be available if at least 48 hours’ notice is given i.e. by Wednesday evening and we can fill that spot.

INDOOR LEAGUE – MATCHES

We have entered the following age groups Under 11's Boys, Under 13's Boys, Under 15’s Boys and Under 13s' Girls – fixtures will be announced shortly.

The Game Format

· 8 players per side

· 24 overs per game, 12 per side

· Everyone bowls at least one over, with four bowlers able to bowl two

· Everyone bats in pairs for 3 overs even if somebody gets out

Matches last for about an hour. There are other scoring rules which we will distribute to the participants.

There will be a match fee of £8 per player per game (please let me know if this is a barrier to participation). Additional matches throughout the winter will be subject to progression in the competition. Finals to be held at Lord’s on 21^st March 2026.

VENUES

Reynolds Sports Centre

Acton Ark Academy School

Gunnersbury Lane

Acton W3 8EY

The facility has amble car parking; is on the E3 bus route and only a few minutes’ walk from either the Uxbridge Road or Acton Town Station so hopefully everyone should find it easy to get to.

Gunnersbury Sports Hub

Gunnersbury Park

Popes Lane

London W3 8LQ

The facility has amble car parking; is on the E3 bus route and only a few minutes’ walk from the club. Please note that car parking is chargeable at Gunnersbury Sport Hub. You can pay at the machines using credit cards, Apple Pay or via the RingGo App. The first 30 minutes are free, after that it is £1 per hour. If using the App they advise visitors to untick for the parking confirmed/expiry reminder (accessed via your Account - Notifications) as not doing this will result in a charge of 10p per notification.

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION – 2025 SUMMER SEASON

Our aim is that everyone will feel welcome, always enjoy themselves, and appreciate being a member of a club that prides itself on being ‘One Club’. If your child has played the game before that’s great but if they haven’t please don't worry about your child not having any cricketing experience - we just want the children to fall in love with the game and see where that takes them on the playing field.

CLUB ETHOS

We are always keen to attract new players to the club and to the game in general; we have an open membership policy and offer cricket for boys and girls aged 5 to 17 and have built up a reputation of being a welcoming and open club – with safety and fun being at the centre of everything we do.

SAFETY AND WELLBEING

We will always put everyone’s safety and wellbeing first. We are an accredited Clubmark Club and adhere to the ‘Safe Hands’ Policy for Safeguarding Children in Cricket (available to view online at https://www.ecb.co.uk/safeguarding). All of the adults at the club who work with children and meet the necessary criteria are checked and vetted by the ECB.

TRAINING

Outdoor training is run from the middle of April through to the end of August and all takes place at our main ground – Gunnersbury Drive (unless otherwise advised).

Sunday mornings – 10am to 11.30am. Registration will be from 9.45am to 9.55am with an immediate start at 10am.

All Stars; Boys age groups: Under 9’s; Under 10’s; Under 11’s; Under 12’s; Under 13’s, Under 14’s, and Under 15’s. Girls age groups: Under 9’s, Under 10’s, Under 11’s, Under 12’s, Under 13’s, Under 14’s and Under 15’s

Tuesday evening – 6.30pm to 8.00pm.

Boys age groups: Under 16’s and Under 17’s. Training will be with the seniors (start date to be confirmed).

Friday evenings – 6.00pm to 7.30pm

Girls hardball training including the following age groups Under 12’s, Under 13’s, Under 14’s and Under 15’s. If Girls are either unable to attend Friday nights or wish to have a second session then they should attend on Sunday mornings and we will find an appropriate training group. We also encourage as many of the Under 14’s and Under 15’s group who are ready to play in the women’s team to train with them on Wednesday evenings.

Girls Under 16’s and 17’s – as there is no junior cricket for this age group we would encourage you to come down with the ladies on Wednesday’s; if you don’t feel ready for senior cricket Friday’s would be an option.

The sessions will be not just on the technical side of the game i.e. nets but also aspects like cricket fitness; match awareness; captaincy; field positions; setting fields; match management including basic scoring and the laws of the game with the aim of improving everyone’s general cricket knowledge. Most importantly, the main intention of the sessions is that everyone is having fun and a rounded cricket experience. We use our 2^nd ground, Boddington Gardens, for some training sessions as it has another 3 nets and also enables us to do centre-wicket training on the non-turf pitch.

We do have a supply of club equipment which will be available for use for the younger age groups. As children develop a love for the game they will move to having their own equipment; if unsure please do not hesitate to ask the coaches regarding any equipment requirements especially bats as it is so important that young players use the correct bat size/weight. We normally have a stock of second hand clothing and equipment available as well.

MATCHES

Games are played in April, May, June and July with some summer games in August. We run teams in the Middlesex Junior Cricket Association competitions from Under 9’s to Under 17’s. All games are 20/20; mid-week matches start at 6.00pm; Sunday games are in the mornings, starting at 10.00am. All the junior fixtures are on the website – www.oldactonianscricket.com

SELECTION FOR GAMES/NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE

The age group lead will notify players through the club website by email – you need to acknowledge that your child can play and is aware of the timings etc. (Please note the club cannot accept responsibility for getting your child to away matches or bringing them back). We will always give opportunity to as many players as possible to play games during the summer with the principle of maximum participation in those matches; however, sometimes selection for and participation in matches will be on the basis of ability.

MEMBERSHIP

The cost for junior membership is £140.00 for the 1^st child and £115.00 for siblings which covers:-

• All outdoor training sessions from middle of April to the end of August
• All matches and festivals throughout the summer
• Cricket Ball
• A cricket voucher for a complimentary day at one of our cricket camps

*New members will also receive a cricket shirt and all new girl members will also receive a pair of coloured trousers for matches for the 2025 season.*

MEMBERSHIP FORM

We also encourage parents to become members of Actonians Sports Club and you can include that on the completed membership form. The cost of that is £50.00 per adult.

Benefits for juniors and adults include: a 10% discount on drinks purchased at the bar. The club also offer complimentary WiFi and Spotify as well as free Sky Sports and TNT Sports programmes.

Could you please complete and return the attached registration form to me as soon as possible – clifford.pile@ntlworld.com and arrangement payment by BACS (Account Name: Old Actonians Association Cricket Club Colts Section; Sort Code: 20-27-48: A/C Number: 40149543); with the reference Member/Child’s Name.

All members – juniors and adults - will be issued with an individual club membership card. All cards have the facility to ‘top-up’ to help move away from ‘cash’. As of today’s date the club does not accept cash across the bar. Membership is for the whole year and not just the cricket season so it would be great to see you enjoying your membership outside of cricket times as well.

We are also an accredited club to All Stars which is a national programmes designed to introduce children to the game, teaching them new skills and having a great time.

ALL STARS – Starts Sunday 18^th May 2025

All Stars Cricket provides a fantastic first experience for all children aged 5-8 years old with an 8 weeks programme of activity and skills development. The programme is designed to introduce children to the sport and teach them new skills.

Cost = £50.00 and included in the package is a personalised t-shirt, bat, ball and backpack

We have 2 hourly groups on Sunday mornings: 10am to 10.50am and 11am to 11.50am

Dates:- Sunday 18th May through to Sunday 6th July 2025.

ALL STARS SESSION 1 BOOKING FORM

ALL STARS SESSION 2 BOOKING FORM

SOCIAL EVENTS

Welcome to the Season Evening – 28^th March 2025

Junior Section BBQ – 18^th May 2025

Bats & Bubbles Evening (Girls and Parent’s Evening) – TBC

Bats & Beer Evening (Boys and Parent’s Evening) - TBC

Junior Section BBQ – 6^th July 2025

Junior Festival – 7^th September 2025

HOW IS THE CLUB RUN

The cricket club is run by a number of volunteers and we always welcome offers of help from parents or older siblings. We hope that as part of the club you will feel able to get involved.

One such area we often need help in is the running of the games (such as scoring) which frees up the coach to manage the games to maximise the enjoyment and hopefully success of the players and ultimately the team. We are grateful to those parents who already help in this respect. Another area of support we need help with is administration – roles include Treasurer, Membership, and Data Protection – if you feel you would like to be involved in any way please let me know.

Our age group leads and coaches are volunteers – the more qualified coaches we have the better quality of coaching we can offer. Formal training costs for volunteers will be paid by the club for all coaching courses – all we ask in return is for some time helping out on a Sunday morning and/or at matches.

We also make use of the senior club coach and other specialist coaches in running a series of specialist coaching sessions for our hardball players throughout the year.

Hopefully the above gives you a good feel about being a member of Actonians Cricket Club. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask.