SMASH-IT & IT’S WICKET IN LEINSTER – SUMMER 2022

In summer 2022, the Smash It and It’s Wicket! Programmes were run in different club settings as 13 camps across the province. In total, more than 150 children across Leinster benefitted from these two programmes and local clubs identified activators who were then trained by Emma Butler and Jenny Sparrow (CL National Programme Co-Ordinators).

Club Focus – Lots of Progress

Halverstown CC were the first to get started. This was their first ever Youth Camp with 13 participants and they had a great group of activators to support the beginning of the process. They were trained in June and began in early July. Halverstown ran Smash-It as a weekly evening session for a four-week period.

Pembroke CC had good engagement with 29 participants for the Smash-It Programme and a further 20 for Its Wicket! They held two sessions each week for the two age groups.

Clontarf CC ran three camps over the summer. In the first Smash-It camp, they had 40 participants. In July they held two camps, one with 40 and another with 45 participants and in August, they held an It’s Wicket camp with 34 participants.

Lucan CC held Smash-It with two activators and 12 children every Tuesday evening from July on, while Mullingar CC ran a week-long Smash-It camp with ten participants and four young and keen activators.

At the end of July, North Kildare CC ran a three-day Smash It camp with 20 participants and the final camp of the summer was held in Leinster CC in mid-August in which they had ten participants.

The feedback from the parents of participants was overwhelmingly positive. Sample parental feedback as follows:

• “Fantastic week and a fantastic participant pack.”

• “Excellent camp to introduce a child to cricket. The coaches were excellent, friendly, pleasant and very encouraging. The venue was super; such a great opportunity.”

• “The enthusiasm the Smash-It camp inspired was on a completely different level. My child asked to practice with the bat and ball each evening (we have the kit with us on holiday too) and that’s something completely new for them with any sport. The coaches did an amazing job. We'd attend again and recommend it to others too. We were delighted with our child's response.”

An experienced coach who recently trained as an activator also complimented the programme:

• “It’s been a great success and I couldn’t recommend it enough to clubs as it has been so well put together by Jenny Sparrow and Emma Butler at Cricket Leinster with the help of Cricket Ireland. With no cost to clubs, the amount of coaching equipment received is phenomenal along with activator training. It should be a no-brainer for clubs and I hope it’s run again in 2023.”

Progress across the two programmes has been very encouraging with many children introduced to cricket in a fun and safe environment. The participating clubs have benefitted by attracting more members, extra kit and training for their coaches.

Our thanks to Isobel Joyce (CL Women’s & Girls Development Officer) for her guidance & support and also thanks to all the clubs who participated in the programmes – there has been very encouraging progress this year with further opportunity for expansion in 2023.