By LIAM TWOMEY
THE St Albans Cricket Club is trying to rebuild its juniors after a drop in playing numbers over the last few years.
Previously the club enjoyed great success with junior teams entered in all ages groups from under-11s right through to under-17s.
However, president Ian Mackenzie said with competition from other local sports and a number of clubs in the area, it had been hard to sustain numbers.
“We have had 15s and 17s the last couple of years and we used to have 11s, 13s, 15s and 17s. The last two years we haven’t had those 11s and 13s,” Mackenzie said.
“There is a lot of pressure on at the moment with a lot of new clubs popping up in the area.
“We are stuck in the middle a bit but we hope that once we put our name out in the area again we will be all right.”
In an effort to entice juniors back, St Albans will not charge junior membership or registration fees, allowing all players to enjoy their cricket for free.
With St Albans aiming to climb the grades of the Victorian Turf Cricket Association in the coming years, Mackenzie said it was important to have young players coming through the ranks.
“The club is really looking to get involved in the juniors because if you don’t have them, you won’t survive,” he said.
“Our senior squad at the moment in A-Turf and B-Turf are 70 per cent our junior players.
“So without that junior development you can’t keep buying players in. It just doesn’t work that way. We have got new kids coming through to support these guys.”
Any junior players wanting to join the club can find out more information by contacting the St Albans Cricket Club or logging on to its website, http://stalbans.vic.cricket.com.au/
