Downham Stow Cricket Club determined to maintain strong community values
Downham Stow Cricket Club are determined to maintain strong community and family values after announcing their merger this week.
The club, which will share its home base between the Memorial Field, at Downham, and Stow Hall, at Stow Bardolph remain fully committed to the spirit and the core values of the sport.
A statement said: “Supporting the community and local businesses is very much part of our development plan.
“In turn, the community and local business supports us, our goals and ambitions to give one big local partnership which will give Downham Stow CC resilience and sustainability for years to come.”
The merger between Stow and Downham Town Cricket Clubs was given the full blessing by both the Norfolk Cricket Board and Norfolk Cricket Association, who the club have thanked for their positive and proactive support.
Although the club are focused at playing at the highest level possible, it refuses to lose sight of the importance of youngsters making their way up through the ranks.
“A strong club of the future will be one which develops from within their local community,” the statement continued.
“We want to develop junior players into senior players through good quality coaching and plenty of opportunity to play and gain experience.
“We don’t want to rely on buying in hired guns and wasting valuable hard-earned club funds which can be far better used with longer term gains rather than short term gains.
“It will only have a positive impact on all involved. Senior players have been training together regularly and playing in the Norfolk Cricket Board mini leagues, which has given the players time to gel in preparation for next year.
“Training has been well attended with a high standard and competition for places which we hope will push all players to be as good as they can be and raise standards even higher.”
Junior coaching on Friday evenings is already attended by more than 40 juniors each week and it is hoped that the club will run a girls’ team next season.
A weekly under-19 academy has also been launched to help develop specific skills needed by those players to be successful in the club’s senior sides.
A number of junior cricketers have already been selected for the Norfolk Youth Cricket age group sides and the club possesses some of the most promising youngsters in the county today.
As well as maintaining their own development and success, Downham Stow CC remain fully committed to try to deliver quality county age group players into the Norfolk Youth system.
Plans are also in the pipeline to make partnerships with local primary and high schools to enable the opportunity for more youngsters to play the game.
