South Shields Cricket Club receives grant to improve practice for youngsters

South Shields Cricket Club installed a new artificial wicket at its Dean Road ground earlier this month, in order to give young players more chances to develop their skills.

The South Tyneside cricket club has one of the North East’s most successful junior sections, with its 13 junior teams playing a total of 176 games in the 2022 season.

After receiving a £5,000 grant from the Banks Community Fund, the club used the funds to install the artificial wicket, allowing for practice sessions and matches.

The junior teams previously had nowhere to practice, and had very limited access to the club’s grass pitches, but due to the funding from regional employer The Banks Group they were able to replace an old artificial strip, which had been in place since 1980 and was no longer in a safe condition for use.

The Banks Group have previously helped to fund vitally-needed new grounds maintenance equipment at South Shields Cricket Club, as well as helping to subside the girls’ section of the club to visit the home of cricket, Lord’s in London.

The club runs free cricket camps throughout the school summer holidays, with primary school children from disadvantaged backgrounds who may find it difficult to access the sport for financial reasons, are prioritised for these sessions. Equipment and playing kits are also regularly supplied to any young players who may need it.

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Patrick William-Powlett, chairman and coach at South Shields Cricket Club, says: "We’ve seen a huge growth in the numbers of boys and girls wanting to play cricket over the last few years and we do everything we can to make sure kids from across the local community can access the game, regardless of their circumstances.

“Providing the right kind of practice and playing facilities is central to that and having this new artificial pitch is going to make a massive difference to the amount of time juniors can spend working on their game, especially in wet summers like the one we’ve had this year.

“Many of the families living in our surrounding communities are facing a lot of challenges, especially at the moment, so we’re very focused on making sure that there aren’t any barriers to playing cricket for any young person that wants to.

“As well as allowing them to learn about the game, taking part in our sessions has a real impact on young players’ self-confidence and team working skills, and keeps them busy and engaged with fun, structured activities when they might otherwise not be.

“The new pitch is already making a big difference to what we can offer our juniors and will help to take our coaching on to a new level, so we’re really grateful for Banks’ continuing support in making our training facilities the best they can be.”

Jamilah Hassan, community relations manager at The Banks Group, added: “The South Shields Cricket Club coaching team goes to amazing lengths to give any local kids who want to play cricket the chance to do so in a safe, supportive environment.”

She continued: “It’s great to hear how well used the new pitch is already and we hope as many young players are able to make use of it this summer and beyond.”