Junior Cricket
The Club has a thriving junior section providing opportunities for boys and girls aged 4 to 17.
We pride ourselves on being an inclusive club, welcoming junior players of any standard, so it doesn't matter if you’re an experienced cricketer or would just like to try cricket for the first time.
Training and matches are always led by ECB qualified coaches who are friendly, welcoming and have safeguarding at the centre of everything we offer.
Training Sessions
Junior training takes place on a Thursday and Friday evening. All new players should get in touch with us before simply turning up but as a guide, the following training sessions take place each week during the cricket season (April to September).
Under 9s
Academic Years 3 and 4, Softball – no equipment required, although some players bring along a bat
Under 11s
Academic Years 5 and 6, Hardball – no equipment required as the club can lend protective equipment. Some players have their own kit. All players will have to wear protective equipment before they can bat.
Under 13s
Academic Years 7 and 8, Hardball – most players have their own kit by this age, but the club can lend kit to players who are just starting out.
Under 15s and 17s
Academic Years 9 to 12, Hardball – usually, players are fairly experienced by this age but new players are still welcome.
Girls Under 12s Softball
Academic Years 3 to 7, Softball – no equipment required. Some players are just learning the game and others have played for a year or so.
Women’s and Girls Hardball and Softball
Secondary school aged players (exceptions can be made for experienced younger players), Hardball – no equipment required but some players have their own kit. The club can lend kit to players who are just starting out.
Softball – no equipment required. Some older players prefer to just play softball and not hardball. This is absolutely fine!
Matches
As well as training, the club runs several junior teams in competitive leagues, at Under 9, Under 11, Under 12, Under 13, Under 15 and Under 17 age groups, and due to the demand, we run several teams at most of these age groups to ensure as many junior players as possible get to experience regular competitive cricket. The following table gives an indication of when particular age groups tend to play their games during the junior cricket season (April – July).
Under 9s - Wednesday evenings
Under 11s - Sunday mornings and Tuesday evenings
Under 12s - Monday evenings
Under 13s - Tuesday evenings and Thursday evenings
Under 15s and 17s - Sunday mornings, Monday evenings and Friday evenings
Girls Under 12s Softball - Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons
Women’s and Girls Hardball and Softball - Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons
Women’s and Girls’ Cricket
The Club has an active and growing female section. During the 2025 season, there were nearly 50 games played by female teams and there were 40 women and girls playing cricket, from the age of 8+.
We have softball games for both primary school -aged players and older secondary school -aged players as well as an open-aged team. We’re also developing our hardball offer for girls and ladies. We have a hardball team which is made up of older girls and would like to see some younger girls and some ladies getting involved in 2026.
Venues
Each season, Richmondshire Cricket Club has approximately 25 different teams competing in junior and senior competitions.
Unfortunately, we can’t play all the games at our main ground at Hurgill Road in Richmond but we are fortunate to have two other venues that we use, Richmond School and Gilling West.
Richmond School tends to be used by our older junior teams (as well as some senior teams), for instance our Under 13s and 15s.
The picturesque Gilling West cricket ground is used predominantly by our youngest teams, the Under 9s, Under 11s and some of our girls’ softball games.
Communication
All our communication to parents is done via a free app called ‘Spond’. As soon as you let us know that you are coming down to training, we’ll ask you to download the app (or subscribe to the notifications via email if you prefer) so you can keep up to speed with everything that’s going on. We will let you know if training needs to be cancelled due to the good old British weather via the app. All your age group matches are listed so you can see what’s coming up and let your coach know whether you’re available in plenty of time. They’ll also let you know which players are playing in which games, as each age-group squad is too big for everyone to play in every game.
Each age group has a ‘Section Manager’ who is the lead coach and is in charge of the age group. Each team within the age-group will also have a ‘Team Manager’ who runs the match for their team on the day. The Section manager will usually be in charge of the weekly training session as well and is a good person to talk to if you have any questions.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is the highest priority at our club. We are fully committed to providing a safe, positive and enjoyable environment for all junior players. Our club follows the safeguarding policies and guidance set out by the ECB, with all coaches and volunteers appropriately trained, DBS-checked and aware of their responsibilities. We promote respect, inclusion and the wellbeing of every junior player, and we have clear procedures in place to ensure any concerns are dealt with promptly and appropriately. Parents can be confident that their children’s safety and best interests are always at the heart of what we do. Of course, safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, so please come and speak to us if you have any concerns, even if they may seem insignificant.
Anna White is our Club Safeguarding Officer (CSO). She can be contacted by using the details below.
How much does it cost?
You can become a member by clicking on the ‘membership’ page on this website. Membership entitles junior players to a weekly training session and regular playing opportunities. There is a small additional charge of £2 per player for match fees, every time they play a game. The only additional costs are as follows:
· Pre-season training – We need to pass on indoor venue charges. These are usually in the region of £20.
· Playing kit – Players have the option of buying a shirt and trousers if they wish. This costs approximately £70. The club has spare kit for any juniors who don’t have their own shirt.
· Protective equipment – Most players choose to buy their own kit, when they’ve decided that cricket is a long-term commitment. New pads, gloves, bat etc. can cost in the region of £200 but lots of second hand kit is available online for a fraction of this.
· Indoor League – We run an indoor league during November/December. This costs approximately £15.
How do I get Involved?
If you would like your child to train and/or play junior cricket with Richmondshire, please email us.
Our Junior and Ladies Committee
Junior and Ladies’ cricket is so important to our club, we have a separate committee that runs it! Please be aware that everyone on the committee is a volunteer and all the work they do is unpaid. You may wish to get in touch with the following people.
Mike White
Chair of the Junior and Ladies Committee
Emma Bottomley, Secretary of the Junior and Ladies Committee
Steve Wright, Treasurer of the Junior and Ladies Committee