Colts

How to Join

Stoke D’Abernon CC Colts welcomes boys and girls to all age groups from Under 6 upwards, regardless of ability or experience. If you are interested in playing cricket, please contact:

Colts Cricket Co-Chairmen:

– Courtney Austin (courtneydjaustin@gmail.com)

– Euan Briggs (euanfbriggs@gmail.com)

Membership Secretary: 

sdccmembership@hotmail.com

 


Colts at Stoke D’Abernon  

Stoke D’Abernon CC is a special cricket club; one that has managed to combine the intimate and friendly membership culture of a village cricket club with the standards and aspirations of a serious league cricket club.  Whilst the ethos has been formed for well over 150 years, much of the playing success has come over the last 15 years, and was driven by numerous 1st XI players who learnt to play cricket as Colts at Stoke D’Abernon CC.  Our 1st XI now plays in Division 1 of the Surrey Championship – a heady rise from the Fuller’s League Division 2 which we emerged from in 2007!

Our Colts section aspires to carefully blend and balance our three objectives; (A) to cherish and develop the club’s culture and feel for future generations of players from the Colts through the 3rd XI to the 1st XI and back again, before embracing encores and curtain-calls in the over-40s and over-50s. (B) to introduce children to cricket and encourage them to develop a love of the beautiful game, and (C) to nurture and challenge each of them to help them to become the cricketer they aspire to be.

COVID has helped highlight to parents the many benefits of team sports and team-mates, as well as the importance of sports clubs as a critical part of the fabric of our local community.  We welcome players from across all local state and independent schools, and from time to time further afield. Whilst school friends are important, developing a wider group of friends bonded by common interest can be much more fun! We know lots of players will take time out from cricket, whether because they are away backpacking in Bolivia or studying away at university, but we hope former Colts who return to sunny Surrey will be drawn to wield the willow with their cricketing friends at Stoke D’Abernon CC.

We promote cricket for all standards irrespective of their starting ability. Getting our Colts involved in quality training programs enabling our younger members to have the opportunity to improve year after year and are dedicated to developing young cricketing talent. Whilst we take our cricket seriously our emphasis is always to have fun. Many of our Colts play within the Surrey Performance and County Age Group systems. Some have been chosen for Surrey’s Emerging Players’ Programme, and full internationals have also come through the ranks.  We do not tend to cap the numbers of players in any given year group, but from time to time we may do so to ensure that we are able to provide the right quality of coaching and sufficient opportunities to play matches.

Our coaching is provided by PowerPlay Cricket Coaching, led by Tim Handel and Ian Hopton.  Both are Stoke D’Abernon CC players and experienced professional cricket coaches.  Ian is also the club’s Director of Cricket, whilst Tim Handel is also Head of Cricket at Parkside School.  They are supported by a number of other experienced professional coaches, and also by a number of cricketing parents, some of whom are also ECB accredited cricket coaches.  Those parents, and others, are also involved as age group managers, scorers and umpires.  As a members’ club, we rely on all parents to pitch in – whether on the playing side, or with administration, or with ad hoc duties that help us to run training games and social events.  If you join our club, we hope parents will offer their help, as and when appropriate and available.

For information on Colts membership fees, please contact sdccmembership@hotmail.com


Training

Colts training takes place at the Club at Stoke D’Abernon Recreation Ground:

  • For U5 – U9:  Fridays 17:15 – 18:00
  • For U10 – U13: Fridays 18:15 – 19:45
  • For U14 – U16: Thursdays 18:00 – 19:30

Parents of U5 – U13 Colts are expected to stay and watch training – in part to remain responsible for their child, but also to enjoy the cricket and surroundings and get to know other parents, and so build another layer of our membership and community.  Our fully licensed bar provides a great start to the weekend, and members often run a BBQ, which is a lot more enjoyable than cooking tea after training!


Competing to Win and to Have Fun

Stoke D’Abernon CC offers fixtures for ages U8 upwards. The club fields teams in the Surrey Junior Cricket Championship leagues and cups. Additionally, friendly matches are organised where possible. The club’s aim is to promote cricket for all standards irrespective of their starting ability. Getting our Colts involved in quality training programs enables our younger members to have the opportunity to improve year after year and we are dedicated to developing young cricketing talent. Whilst we take our cricket seriously, our emphasis is always to have fun.


Matches

Team managers coordinate matches together with help from other parents for umpiring and scoring. Fixtures, if at home, are scheduled to take place at Stoke D’Abernon CC home ground or Parkside School. Fixtures are also set up at away locations within Surrey. Most matches take place on Sunday mornings, but some leagues and cups involve mid-week evening fixtures. Players selected in matches are expected to arrive in time for matches at least half an hour before the start of play for a warm-up session. The club is reliant on its group of volunteer team managers and helpers, along with supportive parents and umpires who aim to capture each child’s enthusiasm and commitment thus achieving confidence in a secure and supportive environment. The club needs and expects help from parents in all aspects of Colts cricket. You should not be put off by lack of experience: many coaches start as supportive parents and soon progress to gain ECB qualifications.


Colts Moving into Senior Cricket  

The ultimate aim of our Colts program is to feed the Senior sections who play on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and mid-week competitive and friendly matches. The transition from Junior to Senior cricket is bridged with our Colts playing alongside Seniors, initially for the Sunday side and our 3rd XI and then move into the club’s 1st and 2nd  XI teams. 


2021 Colts Managers & Officials:

Colts Cricket Co-Managers

Courtney Austin (courtneyjaustin@gmail.com) and Euan Briggs (euanfbriggs@gmail.com)

Colts Membership Secretary

(sdccmembership@hotmail.com)

Club Safeguarding Officer
Kim Mauleverer (kim@mauleverer.com)

Under 8 Managers: 

To be appointed – temporarily Courtney Austin

Under 9 Managers: 

Damian Hourquebie

Danny Simmons

Under 10 Managers: 

Alan Robertson

Euan Briggs

Courtney Austin

Under 11 Managers:

Storm Robotham

Jo James

Under 12 Managers: 

Mark Hendricks

Andy O’Brien 

Under 13 Manager:

Mark Christie 

Under 14 Managers:
Fraser Slater
Geoff Vinall 

Under 15 & above Manager: 

Kevin Morgan

For email enquiries to specific Managers, please use the Club’s Play Cricket Officials page (www.sdacc.play-cricket.com) 


Safeguarding

  • The club attained full ECB Clubmarkaccreditation in 2009
  • We are an ECB Focus Club
  • We fully support the ECB Safe Hands, Cricket’s Policy for Safeguarding Children ensuring that all children, (persons under the age of 18), participating in cricket have a safe and positive experience, ECB Cricket Equity Policy and ECB Coaches Code of Conduct