LONG-STANDING club servant Andy King has stood down as chair of Carsons and Mangotsfield Cricket Club.
Andy has seen many changes at the club, the most significant of which was the formation of a youth team. This has been the foundation of the club’s success over the last few seasons and has secured the club’s future.
Andy had enormous energy and enthusiasm for cricket, and Carsons and Mangotsfield in particular. The club owes a tremendous debt to Andy, who has given an enormous about of time and effort to enable others to learn, play and enjoy the game.
New chair Craig Andrews intends to build on the foundations left by Andy and has started to diversify the cricket offered by the club, including indoor walking cricket and a ladies’ cricket team with sessions being run on alternate weeks.
Craig said: “With Bristol being a host city for the women’s World Cup, this is an exciting time for women’s cricket, which is likely to be high on the summer sporting calendar. If you are interested in either women’s cricket or walking cricket please get in contact with us.”
Walking cricket is a new initiative encouraged by the Gloucestershire Cricket Foundation to encourage new and older players to stay engaged in the game. It is a short-format game with a soft ball and the intention of plenty of involvement from the participants.
Both walking cricket and ladies are building towards the start of the new season, when sessions will be taking place outside.
Another new development is the appointment of a cricket development officer, Kieran Gallagher. Kieran’s role is to bring a coordinated approach to training, lead adult coaching and help with the development of the youth players as they transition into adult cricket.
In addition to the current coaches, five club members have recently passed the foundation coaching level, which broadens the club’s ability to provide sessions.
Ian Coles