175 years of Witham Cricket Club!

Witham Cricket Club member Daniel’s description of life is worthy of the tourist board, when asked why living here was a joy he replied “It’s a mixture of many things. There are green spaces to exercise and relax, excellent amenities and great restaurants if you want to eat out. Really though, it’s the people who make Witham what it is – we know how to kick back and have a good time”.

 

CommunityAd were bowled away by the answer, which is as you may have guessed the theme for the rest of the article. Daniel Youngman first got involved with Witham Cricket Club due to his young man’s introduction to the game. Taking his son to training over a decade ago now, it wasn’t long before he was roped into umpiring games. Before Daniel knew it he was on a Level 2 Coaching Course and on the committee of our local club.

 

CommunityAd had the good fortune to speak to the ever-involved Daniel.

So, Daniel, what’s your role at the club and what do you enjoy most about it?

I run the Junior Section of the club, as well as coaching the kids and managing the Under 11s team (and having a full time job). As someone who has loved cricket since I was four years old, I want to pass that along to as many people as possible and this role gives me the chance to do that.

When I run a coaching session, the main thing for me is that the kids have fun playing cricket, because if they have fun then they’ll want to come back again and again. That way we can teach them the skills to play the game well.

As well as that, I sit on the club committee which tries to make the club run smoothly and I also keep wicket for the 3rd XI. It’s enormously rewarding playing for the 3’s as that is often the team in which the older Juniors play their first open age cricket, so I get to see them grow, learn and enjoy playing (although it often makes me feel quite old being nearly three times the age of the youngsters in the team!).

 

It seems like a community-orientated friendly and inclusive club to be a part of, is that the case?

Absolutely! We have a massive mixture of members and parents from all walks of life and we like to think that we include everyone. We happily accept new juniors who want to try out cricket and adults who have already played a bit.

Our 1st XI skipper’s father and grandfather both played for the club and his niece is already playing U11s, so that’s four generations of one family.

On a Saturday we get plenty of family members coming down to watch the games and enjoy the odd drink in the sunshine.

Over the past decade we’ve also partnered with our sister club – Witham Hockey Club – to host a beer festival over the August bank holiday. Unfortunately, the pandemic has called a halt to that for 2020 and 2021, but hopefully it can return next year, better than ever.

 

How long has the club been existence?

The club was founded in 1847, which means that next year will be our 175th Anniversary. In 1995, we merged with Bramston Cricket Club which brought new families and players to the club.

 

What has been the key to such longevity do you think?

I suppose we’re quite lucky that Cricket is the major summer sport of the UK and that allows us to have stayed relevant for such a long time. Obviously, the popularity of cricket has its ups and downs but we’ve always managed to hold onto the imagination of our players even through the lean times. Currently, with England as both men’s and women’s World Cup holders and the fact that large global tournaments like the IPL, Big Bash and (hopefully) the Hundred being available to watch on Sky and sometimes stream on YouTube, cricket is rarely unavailable to watch.

We’re also a very successful club. The 1st XI has been at the top of Division 1 for two years now and we’re hoping to challenge for entry into the East Anglian Premier League at the end of the season. The 2nd XI are also having a fantastic season and are trying for promotion too.

 

Last year, all sport was massively affected by the pandemic, you didn’t get a full cricket season. How much is the club looking forward to having a full season this time around?

We’re really looking forward to having as full a season as the weather allows.

Last year, we couldn’t start playing until the middle of July, which was a difficult time for people who are used to starting at the end of April! All the leagues did a great job of rearranging fixtures so that clubs could play each other through to September. There were obviously certain restrictions around providing teas and sanitising hands during the game which are still in place, but we play with restrictions and continue to have a great time on the pitch.

With the second COVID wave during the winter affecting many of the traditional winter sports, many clubs extended the football and rugby seasons which, I’ll admit, worried me as to whether we’d get as many kids at training as usual, but happily the Junior section is as well attended as usual.

As for the adults, we couldn’t wait to get bats in our hands again and availability for all three Saturday teams, the Sunday team and the T20 team has been amazing.

 

Just how crucial are volunteers to the club’s continued success?

Volunteers really are the life-blood of Witham Cricket Club, we simply wouldn’t function without them. The whole Committee, the Coaches, the bar manager, the Groundsmen, the parents who umpire the kids games – we’re all volunteers.

 

Why should readers consider getting involved?

We want to grow and improve as a club and for that we need to keep attracting players, both junior and senior. If you’re a lapsed cricketer and you want to play again, or if you’re a parent who knows that there’s more to a child’s summer than Fortnite and YouTubers, then get in touch.

 

To make contact and get involved with Witham Cricket Club and join in with their celebrations next year, head to their Facebook @withamcricketclub.

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