Welcome to cricket season
2023 – 2024

On behalf of the Junior Cricket Committee here at Gordon Junior Cricket Club I extend a warm welcome to all new boys and girls and their families who are joining us for the first time. It will be a great cricketing experience for you all. Learning new skills, making new friends and playing cricket games in the true Gordon Spirit. To all those players and families returning to Gordon cricket for another season I sincerely thank you for your loyalty and support of this great cricket club – a club that is focussed on sportsmanship, friendship and providing equal opportunity for all boys and girls.

In becoming the new president, I have taken over from Dave Bezer who has made an incredible contribution to the Junior Club over the past 8 years. His involvement through all levels, organising the committee, managing teams on Saturdays and being around to welcome new players and parents has been tremendous. He will be missed around the club but hopefully he will still drop by from time to time showing his support for the club he has devoted so much time to.

This season Woolworths continue as the major sponsor of junior cricket in Australia and the work Cricket Australia and Cricket NSW have done in the off season will ensure we have great learning and development pathways for our junior Cricketers. This year at Gordon Juniors we will aim to have at least 22 teams compete in the North Shore Junior Cricket Association (NSJCA) competitions with age groups from 5 to 17.

The committee has been working hard over the past months to ensure that the Gordon Junior Cricket Club will provide a structured, safe and friendly environment for all to enjoy Australia’s favourite summer sport. Please note the following and points and dates: –

REGISTRATIONS WILL OPEN ONLINE VERY SHORTLY – PLEASE REGISTER ASAP AFTER IT OPENS HERE

Training session dates will be advised by the individual age coordinators shortly. However now is the time to start training in readiness for the coming season. Practice nets will be available at Willoughby Park (McClelland Rd. Willoughby), Artarmon Reserve (Burra Road Artarmon), Chatswood High School, Mowbray Public School and Roseville Public School.

BACK 2 CRICKET DAY will likely be Saturday 16th September 2023 – from 2pm till 5pm – Location – Beauchamp Park – Nicholson Street, Chatswood. Players will receive their playing shirt and a red Gordon training shirt for the season. Caps are available also to new players joining the club. Team mangers will receive cricket kits in readiness for the first round likely to start on Saturday 23rd September 2023 for U10 – U17’s.

Further details for B2C Day will follow.

FIRST GAMES BEGIN THE WEEKEND 23/24 September 2023 for age groups 10 to 17 while the Junior Blasters, Master Blasters and U9’s competition will commence on 14th October. Rounds will be played through until early March 2023 with finals for those in U10 – U17’s. There is a long break over Christmas and during the summer school holidays.

Above is a list of committee members for the coming season and I thank you all for the arduous work you are putting in to ensure all our players have a fun season with Gordon Junior Cricket Club and a special welcome to all new faces on the committee. Age coordinators can be contacted by email to answer all your questions regarding the coming season.

Over the past few seasons Cricket Australia has been developing a pathway policy that all district associations should implement and the NSJCA follows this policy when planning the various competitions for the coming season. The Pathway starts with Junior and Master Blasters for beginners and then moves on to 3 distinct stages of cricket as detailed below: –

Stage 1 – 7 a side on a 16m pitch with a 142g leather ball and batters face a set number of balls and everyone bowls.

Stage 2 – 9 a side on a 18m pitch with a 142g leather ball and batters retire at a specified number of runs if they are not dismissed and everyone bowls.

Stage 3 – 11 a side on a 20m pitch with a 156g leather ball and batters retire at a specified number of runs if they are not dismissed and not all players have to bowl.

You can find a list of proposed competitions and proposed competition dates on the NSJCA website ( www.nsjca.asn.au ). Also on the NSJCA website is the “BLUE BOOK”. This book has all the rules and details about our competitions. Please start to build your teams. If you are new to the Club, it is important to contact the age coordinator so new players can be placed in a team.

Gordon Junior Cricket Club works very closely with the Gordon Men’s senior Club and the Gordon Women’s Club. By combining the three clubs (Juniors Seniors and Women’s) we are able to draw on the many resources available to us to ensure our boys and girls receive the best possible coaching and mentoring so they can develop their skills and enjoy this great game. There is also a pathway from the juniors into the seniors, and representative cricket through AW Green Shield.

The Gordon Cricket Club is one the largest and most successful cricket clubs in Australia. A club that has produced many test and state players in both men’s and women’s cricket and some of these cricketers have come from the junior ranks. Please take time to read the Gordon District Cricket Club annual report which can be found at www.gordoncricketclub.com click on club news then annual report 2022-23.

CHILD SAFETY POLICY.

Gordon Junior Cricket Club in association with Cricket Australia, Cricket NSW and the North Shore Cricket Association have introduced policies to ensure all players enjoy the game without any harassment whatsoever.

Looking forward to catching up with everyone shortly and may you all enjoy a great summer of cricket playing with Gordon Juniors, a club that promotes safety, equality and friendship while playing the game in the true spirit of cricket.

Best regards to all,

Chris Rigg

President

Gordon Junior Cricket Club