The u9s

Our U9 section is the dedicated to the youngest members of the club. Coaching is highly differentiated to meet the needs of all individuals from those who are just beginning their journey and learning how to hold a bat; run wearing a protective box and pads; or bowl a ball to those who are exploring new skills such as bowling spin or wicket keeping.

friday night coaching

The U9 coaching team is led by Iain Nichols and Nick Aston and managed by Bronwyn Nichols. Boys and Girls train together. Coaching starts on Friday 26 April and runs every Friday (including during half term) from 6.30pm and until 8pm. The last coaching session is on Friday 19 July although matches continue throughout the summer.

The aim of the sessions are to begin to learn the basic skills of cricket and equal emphasis is placed on all 3 areas of the sport: batting, bowling and fielding. Children are given the opportunity to develop at their own pace whilst always maintaining the key element of fun. Game play is also gradually introduced through internal matches.

Friday nights at Great Melton are a fantastic occasion for both parents and players alike. Children should wear clothes suitable for playing sport in (cricket whites are not required) and trainers. All boys will need their own pair of batting pants and a protective box. All other equipment can be provided by the club although they are welcome to bring their own. Please be aware that Friday evenings at Melton Park early in the season are very chilly so both players (and parents) need to dress accordingly.

The BBQ is run each week by a team of volunteers and the bar is open. Payments can be made by cash or card. In order to allow the bar and BBQ to run, we rely on a team of volunteers and kindly request that each parent volunteers for at least one Friday throughout the summer to either do a stint behind the bar or on the BBQ. Rachel Pailes is coordinating the team of volunteers for Friday nights so please let her know when you are available.

match play

There are plenty of opportunities for U9 players of all ages and abilities to play in matches both within the club or against other clubs. We have 1 x U9 mixed teams entered into the Norfolk Cricket Alliance league:

U9 Phoenix Fixtures 2024 to see how they are getting on, you can access the league table here

These matches are all played in the Pairs Format. Everyone has the opportunity to bat and bowl throughout the game. If you would like to understand more about the rules in these matches, they can be found here. Girls who are in Years 5 and 6 are also eligible to play in the U9 leagues (those selected for county age group squads are only eligible to play in Year 5).

We will also play several friendly fixtures against other clubs and other Great Melton teams throughout the season

Players playing in these fixtures will be required to wear a white Great Melton cricket shirt and cricket white trousers. They will also need a protective box and batting pants. All other equipment can be provided by the club although they are welcome to bring their own.

For those players not yet ready to play hard ball cricket or those who just want to play more cricket, we also enter an U9 mixed team into the U9 Norfolk Softball Cricket League. These games are played on a Sunday in a festival style format where several teams play each other on a single afternoon. The games are shorter and designed for those with less experience of playing. Details of the fixtures will be included once they are confirmed.