APPENDIX - TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND.. 2

EVALUATION OF EXISTING SITUATION.. 3

1.      Evaluation of Existing Situation - General 3

2.      Evaluation of Existing Situation - Youth. 3

CLUB OFFICIALS AND KEY PARTNERS. 5

ANALYSIS OF BIDDESTONE CRICKET CLUB.. 8

1.      Club Management Structure. 8

2.      Membership. 9

3.      Senior Sectiony. 10

4.      Youth Section. 11

5.      Facilities & Resources. 15

6.      Fixtures. 16

AIMS & OBJECTIVES. 18

1.      Aims & Statement of Values. 18

2.      Objectives. 18

3.      Aims and Objectives of the Club Development Plan. 19

4.      History and Review of the Development Plan. 19

5.      Future ideas to be considered at next Development Plan review*. 20

 

 


INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

 

(Biddestone Cricket Club – A Brief History & Background)

 

Biddestone Cricket Club was formed in 1949 by Mr Horn a Lay Preacher, who had retired to Biddestone. The youth of Biddestone having been excluded from playing for the village football team decided to start a local cricket club, with the help of Graham Hudson who was the main leading light and the first captain of the club. One early match was memorable all for the wrong reasons - the youth playing against their fathers were all out for 1 run (a leg bye) and lost. The age limit was gradually increased and players were trawled from outside of the area.

Biddestone joined the original West Wilts Village League (now defunct) and in1986 transferred to the new Wiltshire Cricket League which included the old West Wilts League and the Wessex Leagues.

The 1986 season comprised the Wessex League (Division One & Two) and the Wiltshire League (Divisions One to Seven). Biddestone were entered into Division Six and finished in third position. Due to the growth of the league Biddestone were promoted to Division Four at the start of the 1987 season and again finished in third position. The clubs fortunes ebbed and flowed over the next 16 years and eventually they started a second XI in 1991 and a third XI in 2002. Youth teams were created.

Finally all the good work over the previous seasons paid off, and with the added strength of a number of good new players, Biddestone obtained promotion to the West of England Premier League (Gloucestershire & Wiltshire Division Two) in 2004. In its first season the club finished the season in the third position, but obviously enjoyed playing against new opposition. With the third XI winning promotion to Division 7 of the Crusader Wiltshire League, this allowed the club to enter a fourth XI in Division 8 in 2005. The new pavilion/village hall built in 2003 created the right environment for the club and provided facilities not previously available.

With the continuing growth in membership, the club decided to enter the Malmesbury & District Village Sunday League in 2006 offering the club a competitive 16 game fixture list. This provided additional opportunities to those in the 16-20 age group and has been run as a “Development Team”. A second ‘B’ team was entered into the Malmesbury & District Village Sunday League in 2007.

In 2005 the club achieved three major awards as recognition of their progress. Firstly the club achieved ClubMark accreditation and this was quickly followed by inclusion in the elite group of county Focus Club’s. Finally in the autumn of 2005, the club applied for and were granted a place on the ECB-sponsored Chance To Shine programme – the first club in Wiltshire to gain this honour.

The club is affiliated to the England and Wales Cricket Board and The Wiltshire Cricket Board.


EVALUATION OF EXISTING SITUATION

 

1.        Evaluation of Existing Situation - General

 

The population of North Wiltshire is around 125,000 and is an area which has expanded enormously over the last 15 years. Population growth between 1991 and 2001 was at 11% compared with the national average of 2.6%.

 

The senior club and the facilities of Biddestone Cricket Club have undergone a massive transformation in recent years with the result that the first and second teams play in Gloucestershire / Wiltshire League (part of the West of England Premier League pyramid structure) and the third and fourth teams are in the Surridge Sport Wiltshire County Cricket League.

 

The success of the youth section of the club has led to a significant number of cricketers in the 16-20 year age group. It is a primary driver of the club to ensure that we establish an effective pathway between youth and senior cricket. For that reason, a fourth team was established in 2005, a Sunday league team was started in 2006 and a second Sunday team followed in 2007.

 

The club took a full and active role in the ECB-sponsored Cricket Force event in April 2006 and 2007 with around 20 volunteers in each year, assisting with pre-season ground preparation.

 

2.        Evaluation of Existing Situation - Youth

 

This success outlined above is due, in no small part, to the vision and hard work of the club in 1998 in launching a youth section. This part of the club is now fundamental to the future of the club and continues to grow, year upon year. The club now requires additional coaches in order to manage the escalating numbers and as a result, recruitment, whilst important at the younger levels, is not a primary concern

 

There is an established and highly successful youth recruitment strategy based on;

·         School liaison activity led by a named School Liaison Officer (Phil Boore)

·         The support of parents and promotion of the club through ‘word-of-mouth’ parental endorsement

·         The club’s website at www.biddcc.co.uk

·         Publicity in local newspapers, village newsletters and in the local area magazine (Honeycomb)

·         Flyers at local schools and sports centres

 

The club is very active in involving the youth members in all aspects of the club. A successful youth mentoring programme is established whereby older youth members (14-18) coach and support the younger members. Additionally the Club Welfare Officer holds youth feedback sessions where, at an informal meeting, the youth have the chance to provide feedback on what is going well and what needs improvement.

 

The club and the youth management have a good ongoing working relationship with the County Cricket Development Manager and Local Authority representatives. The club commenced formal links with four primary schools and two secondary schools in early 2006 to enable the youth section to capitalise on the profile it has already created in the community. It has established ongoing relationships with the following schools:

 

·           By Brook Valley Primary School

·           Kington St Michael Primary School

·           Kington Langley Primary School

·           Stanton St Quinton Primary School

·           Corsham Secondary School

·           Hardenhuish School

 

In the autumn of 2006, the club joined the ECB- sponsored Chance To Shine programme. This multi-million pound national initiative is designed to re-launch cricket within the state school sector. The ECB sought active support from ECB Focus Clubs. Biddestone Cricket Club was proud to be nominated and accepted as the first (and only) club in Wiltshire to be on the scheme in its first year.

 

All this activity has translated itself to the field where the club is consistently one of the top performers in the local leagues.

·         In 2002, the Under 13 team were County Cup semi-finalists and the Under 15’s were Bath League Cup semi-finalists

·         In 2003, the Under 13 team were County Cup finalists and the Under 15’s were again Bath League Cup semi-finalists

·         In 2004, both the Under 13 team and the Under 15 team reached the final of the County Cup

·         In 2005, the Under 15 team won the Bath Youth League Cup

·         In 2006, the Under 15 team won the County Cup and retained the Bath Youth League Cup. The Under 13 side won their Bath Youth League and their Wiltshire Youth divisional league and were losing finalists in the County Cup.

 

 

 




ANALYSIS OF BIDDESTONE CRICKET CLUB

 

1.                      Club Management Structure

 

·           Ownership of the club

The property of the cricket club is owned by the paid-up members of the club. A resolution to dissolve the club can only be passed at an AGM or EGM through a unanimous vote of every member of the club. In the event of dissolution, any assets of the club that remain will be held in trust by the Biddestone Village Hall and Recreational Trust.

 

·           Management Committee

The Management Committee’s main responsibilities include representing the views of its members, general club finance, planning the upkeep and maintenance of the club premises (including its fixtures and fittings), informing relevant individuals and providing guidance on all club Health & Safety requirements, Child Welfare, Social and Community links, Insurance, Marketing and Promotion. It accepts reports from each committee.

 

·           Cricket Committee

The Cricket Committee is responsible for all playing aspects of the club (with the exception of youth cricket). They cover matters such as the coaching arrangements, the agreement and fulfilment of fixtures, the selection policy, player development, match day preparation arrangements (including teas and bar), ground maintenance issues and management of the Club’s playing facilities and matters such as club clothing and kit.

 

·           Youth Committee

The Youth Committee is responsible for all matters relating to club members and players that are Under 18 (i.e. both youth and senior matches affecting this age group). This includes the provision of fixtures, selection policy, agreement to the number of teams fielded in each age group and will normally be the first place where Child Welfare matters are raised

 

·           Development Committee

The Development Committee exists to protect the long term strength and stability of the club and to ensure that the strategic direction of the club is correct. It ensures the ongoing review and updating of the Development Plan. In ensuring the long term financial stability of the club it looks at the promotion of all fund raising, securing funding and driving sponsorship activities (except those covered by the social committee). It ensures the clubs image is sound through promoting the club both in the press and with new and existing partner organisations and principals. It should also ensure the active involvement of the club’s membership in the running of the club by encouraging maximum participation through initiatives like the Volunteer Programme. Finally it will identify the need for the club to progress initiatives like ClubMark and Focus Club status and in doing so will recommend new policies and guidelines for adoption.

 

·           Social Committee

The Social Committee will promote all social activities. They will draw up a list of events throughout the year and endeavour to maximise attendance at the events. It is normally expected that events will ‘break-even’ (unless agreed otherwise beforehand). However the social committee is about fun, enjoyment and participation and is not in existence solely to raise funds for the club.

 

2.         Membership

Membership of Biddestone Cricket Club is open to all, irrespective of age, gender, disability and ethnic origin.

 

The complete breakdown of club membership figures areas for the 2007 season was as follows (2006 figures in brackets):

 

 

Membership type
(family membership included in numbers shown)

White Male

White Female

Ethnic Male

Ethnic Female

Disabled Male

Disabled Female

Total

Senior Members
(18 and over)

 

41 (42)

 

0 (0)

 

0 (0)

 

0 (0)

 

0 (0)

 

0 (0)

 

41 (42)

Youth Members
(16-18)

 

15 (16)

 

0 (0)

 

1 (0)

 

0 (0)

 

0 (0)

 

0 (0)

 

16 (16)

Youth Members
(under 16)

 

117 (115)

 

19 (0)

 

0 (0)

 

0 (0)

 

0 (0)

 

0 (0)

 

136 (116)

 

Associate Members

 

4 (0)

 

2 (0)

 

0 (0)

 

0 (0)

 

0 (0)

 

0 (0)

 

0

 

Total Club Membership

 

173

 

0

 

1

 

0

 

0

 

0

 

193 (174)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


3.         Senior Section

 

·           Senior Men

 

The Club has a total number of 41 senior male playing members over the age of 18 (as seen in the Club membership section) and offers competitive opportunities to all by entering senior men’s teams in organised competition structures as seen below.

 

 

Competition Structure

Season / Day

No of teams entered

Division

West of England Premier League

Summer / Saturday

2

1st XI – Gloucs / Wilts Div 1

2nd XI – Gloucs / Wilts Div 2 (2nds)

Surridge Wiltshire County Cricket League

Summer / Saturday

2

3rd XI – Division 6

4th XI – Division 8

Malmesbury & District Sunday League

 

Summer / Sunday

2

A team – Division 1

B team – Division 2

National Village Knockout Cup

 

Summer / Sunday

1

Knockout cup

Chippenham Indoor Cricket League

Winter / Sunday