Despite the circumstances, it has been a thoroughly enjoyable, progressive and successful season for the Lindum junior members. Similar to the senior calendar, junior fixtures and training had to be postponed in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak and its subsequent lockdown. However, even during those uncertain months, the club pulled together, led by new Junior Chairman Will Wright, to ensure the juniors still had some form of cricket to participate in.

Once it became apparent that the season would not be able to go ahead as usual, plans were quickly put in place to fill the cricket-shaped hole in the juniors’ lives. Firstly, to replace the standard Friday night training sessions, weekly YouTube coaching videos were put together by numerous coaches and senior players, featuring a range of practice drills and activities to keep the kids involved while stuck at home during lockdown. These proved extremely popular and were a strong reminder of how tight-knit the club has become. We were also treated to a well-wishing message from non-other than England’s World Cup winning captain Eoin Morgan, providing a timely boost to the members at a difficult time.

Once we were finally given the go ahead for our game to resume, there was obvious eagerness from the juniors and the coaches to get as much cricket in, albeit later than scheduled, as possible. A number of Friday night All-Stars sessions went ahead, which were brilliantly attended and supported, the usual cricket week in August was extended to a cricket fortnight to allow as many members to attend in the safest way possible, and junior teams ranging from under-9s to under-15s fulfilled a number of competitive fixtures. It was brilliant to see so many juniors and parents up at the club on such a regular basis.

The U9 Gladiators, led by Matt Benson and Dom Belletty, enjoyed six very competitive games against Nettleham Arrows, Nettleham Barracudas and Market Rasen, winning three of them and, more importantly, providing plenty of juniors with their first games in a Lindum shirt. Tim Jenkins’ U11s progressed well throughout their four games, learning from defeat in the first three to seal a pleasing win over Hartsholme in the final game. It is clear to see that there is a lot of talent amongst even our youngest of age groups.

Nick Kirk’s U13s experienced a learning curve as they came up against some strong opposition in their league, falling just short in all four games but taking some valuable lessons into next season, with a couple of players even playing up for the U15s. They, coached by John Alford, enjoyed a somewhat thrilling season, with a number of contests going down to the wire. The side won four out of six games; a double over Nettleham and one apiece against Bracebridge Heath and Hartsholme. A number of the U15s also represented the senior sides on numerous occasions in both Saturday and Sunday cricket this season, with the Saturday 3rd XI and Sunday Academy in particular providing excellent platforms for our young talents to flourish. The talent amongst our junior members certainly bodes well for the future of the club.

Towards the end of the season, the club even held training sessions for female cricketers, both girls and women, which were both strongly attended and very enjoyable for players and coaches alike. The club prides itself on providing cricketing opportunities for all those who seek them, with female participation very much being an area of focus in the coming years.
Whilst being careful not to single out individuals, the club feels it is important to recognise and celebrate successes achieved by our junior members. 2020 has been an overall hugely successful season for the club, with its junior members once again at the forefront. U16 Pranav Pothula not only broke into the 1st XI, but became an integral member of the team, picking up a number of vital wickets on the team’s run to the final before claiming man of the match in that game with an outstanding individual performance. Tom Marshall, captain of the U15s, made his 1st XI debut earlier this season and also represented the Sunday 1st XI on a number of occasions, the highlight being a five-wicket haul in the team’s title-clinching final game of the season. Finally, 15-year-old Joe Thompson showcased his batting credentials with a maiden senior century for the Academy in their final game of the season against Old Lincolnians. It’s also worth noting that around 10 of the players who have represented the 1st XI this year are products of our junior system, which is both a testament to the club’s set-up and a huge motivation for our current junior members.

A huge thank you must go to everyone who has made the junior season possible this year; the committee, coaches, parents, volunteers and, of course, the players themselves. We hope you have enjoyed the somewhat strange season and are eager to get going again next year. A special thank you also to Will Wright, who has done a wonderful job in his first season as Junior Chairman. Not only was Will behind the coaching booklets and coaching videos which were provided during lockdown, he has spent hours and hours coaching, umpiring, scoring, watching and simply providing the club’s young members with opportunities to play cricket. Led by Will, Lindum certainly has an enviable junior set-up which will only go from strength to strength in the coming years.

We hope the juniors have a safe and healthy winter and we look forward to seeing you all again for a successful 2021 season.

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