Budleigh Salterton’s title winning under-15 team at the 2015 EDYL awards evening
BUDLEIGH Salterton have won a £600 grant from the David Shepherd Cricket Trust to boost their summer youth coaching programme.
More than 100 youngsters – boys and girls – are coached at Friday night sessions during the summer.
Budleigh run sides from under-eights, playing fun cricket, through to an under-17 side and parade nine teams in the Bradleys East Devon Youth League.
Karl Short
Parents and senior players have been heavily involved in developing the youth section at Ottermouth.
Karl Short was honoured by the Bradleys East Devon Youth League in 2015 for his work with the youth section over a seven-year span. He was presented with the Peter Howard Trophy.
Barry Real, vice-chairman and membership secretary at Budleigh, said the grant will go towards bringing in a qualified coach.
“We are striving for a coach to enhance our youth coaching programme by implementing more structure to our coaching activities, improving the quality of skills training and developing the skills and experience of our volunteer parents, many of whom are not cricketers but are keen to help,” said Real.
“Over recent seasons we have developed a more structured approach to our coaching activities but without coaching expertise feel we cannot provide the level of coaching our youth members need and deserve.
“We also have over 15 girls playing across the age groups and are looking to develop girls’ teams in the future.
“This grant will allow us to recruit a qualified coach to further enhance the quality and structure of our coaching programme in 2017.”
Grants totalling nearly £5,000 have been approved to clubs and organisations such as the Devon Women’s Cricket Association in the latest round of applications.
All grants are subject to the applicants securing new members for the Trust, or joining it themselves.
“Our desire is to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Trust and growing our membership number is a key element in that objective,” said Trust secretary Richard Wyatt-Haines.
To find out how to apply for a Trust grant visit their website www.dsct111.org.uk. For membership details click the drop-down menu ‘joining and donating’.