Youth Cricket Academy's Famous Cricket Week Hot

The Youth Cricket Academy (YCA) is hosting a Cricket Week in the first week of the December holidays for pre-school children. They will play 'matches' that have been tried with the pre-school cricketers already at the YCA, and the matches were both fun and informative. The whole week is aimed at ensuring that the pre-school children that do attend will enjoy themselves and have cricket introduced to them as a fun team sport.

The Matches

There are various names given to the type of mini-cricket matches that the pre-school children will play during the Cricket Week, the most common name being 'Crazy Cricket'. Due to most pre-school children being unable to throw a ball straight, this version of cricket sees the coach throw the ball to the waiting batter, ensuring that he will have a fair chance of hitting the ball. As the batter makes contact with the ball he will be required to run to a beacon and back, while the fielders will retrieve the ball the batsman struck and return it to the coach, who will proceed to throw it again to the batter. The batter is out either by being bowled, caught ormn out. Each batter will face the same number of balls, and if he is out then 2 runs will be subtracted from the team's score, but he will continue to bat until he has faced his quota of balls. He will then wait for the rest of his batting team to bat, and then go and field. This game is designed to incorporate any cricketer, regardless of his level of exposure to cricket. The game is fast moving and promises to keep all the children entertained! All cricket kit will be provided and the 'matches' will be played with soft balls. The 'matches' will take pklce at the grounds of the YCA at Heatherbank Cricket Club, between J(jh and 11^th Avenue, Villiers Road, Walmer.

The Coaches

The coaches all have sufficient experience in dealing with young children to ensure that they listen and have a great time. Pn school children get coached at the YCA every day, and as a result the coaches are well rehearsed when it comes to keeping tht attention of these young cricketers!

What Children Will Gain at the Youth Cricket Academy's Cricket Week

The YCA will focus on 3 main areas of coordination: the ball entering the hand (fielding and catching), balls exiting the hand (throwing) and hitting balls (batting). These are very different facets of coordination and that is why some children can catch but not throw well, or others can bowl but struggle to bat. The YCA program that runs during school terms is where the young cricketers get taught the various techniques of the sport, and although these 'matches' are not designed to coach cricketers, but more to have fun, advice will be given during the 'matches' to players who appear to be having difficulty when batting, throwing or catching.

The Fees, Times and Dates

• The YCA Cricket Week will run from Monday the 12^th of December to Saturday the 17^th of December 2011. There will be a prize giving at the Youth Cricket Academy on Saturday for all the cricketers.
• It will cost R375.00 for the week, and this includes drinks for the players during the 'matches'. The fees will be used to set-up the prize giving on Saturday, so unfortunately there will be no refunds for bad weather, as the prize giving will still take place.
• The matches will start at 08:00 and end by II :00 everyday.