After two seasons of disruption to cricket caused by the pandemic, Tavistock Cricket Club are launching a big season of summer of junior cricket, with a strong commitment to developing young team members.

Club chairman Dave Manning explained: ‘With the disruption caused to league cricket we have not been able to field junior teams for the last two seasons. However, this season we’re really excited to launch Tavistock Juniors and have entered teams in both the Under 11 and Under 10 categories in the West Devon Youth Cricket League.

‘Tavistock Juniors is our new team for children in Years 5 or 6 at school who may have already been through the All Stars and Dynamos programmes run by the club, or are new to the game, and want to continue their cricketing adventure.

‘We will carefully introduce the children to playing hard ball cricket, with an emphasis always on safety and fun.

‘We are planning some indoor sessions in March before we train outside.’

Tavistock Cricket Club sees this as the first step in developing age group cricket with the gateway for players to eventually play for the first team and beyond.

Dave continued: ‘If local Tavy lad Luke Northmore can go on and play rugby union for England, there is no reason why the boys and girls who play cricket for Tavistock should not have the ambition to play cricket at the highest level.

‘Who knows, we might have the next Joe Root or Heather Knight playing at the Ring?’ (the club’s ground on the edge of Dartmoor).

Matches will be played against local sides including Yelverton, Whitchurch and Buckland Monachorum. Fixture dates to be confirmed.

In addition, the club are continuing to offer the successful All Stars programme, for all children aged 5-8 years old, where they’re guaranteed eight weeks of jam-packed fun, activity and skills development.

For those older children the club are also again delivering the successful Dynamos Cricket programme which provides a fantastic next step for all those graduating from All Stars Cricket and the perfect introduction for all 8–11-year-olds new to the sport.

The programme starts on May 6 and will be every Friday for eight weeks at 6pm.

For more information go to www.ecb.co.uk/play/all-stars.

Email [email protected] to register your interest for junior cricket.