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Harlow Cricket Club - About Us
Harlow Cricket Club was originally formed in 1774 and has been in
existence in some form or another in and around the town of Old
Harlow since then to the current day. The club is an integral part
of the community open to all irrespective of age, gender,
disability, race, ethnic origin, creed, colour, social status, or
sexual orientation as enshrined in the Club's consitution.
The Club runs a Senior Section and a thriving Junior Section
known as the Colts. The Club endeavours to play good quality senior
cricket at the weekends including a 4th XI which is a development
team comprising of two or three senior players and the balance of
the team made up of young players that the Club has developed from
its Colts.
Harlow CC is affiliated to the Essex County Cricket Board and
thereby the England and Wales Cricket Board and has been identified
by both bodies as a Docus Club to deliver and promote cricket. The
Club has held Sport England Clubmark accreditation since 2003 for
its work that it does with children and young people and currently
has over 140 young people in its Colts section.
The Club hires sufficient indoor training facilities in the
winter in order to offer its young people coaching facilities for
the entire year using its own ECB qualified coaches. 90 places were
offered in 2011 at three different locations.
Harlow CC looks to be part of and support the local community
whenever it can. The Club supports council initiatives, local school
events and outreach programmes. Six-A-Side fun days are held through
the season and are open to teams from the general public. A local
company and a local village team are both invited to play their home
matches at the Club's ground as neither has a home venue.
The Club is actively trying to diversify from just being a venue
for sporting activities in the summer to being a venue that is
accessible to the wider non-sporting community all the year round.
To this end the Clubhouse is offered to the public for evening
lettings and to several community groups for meetings during the
day. A local music club called 'Music at Marigolds', hold their gigs
in the Clubhouse free of charge.
The Club's existing Clubhouse is old and dilapidated and totally
insufficient for the Club's needs. The Club has started the planning
and fundraising process of building a completely new Clubhouse. The
Club is a great believer in trying to use self help using volunteer
Club members to get work done at the Club rather than constantly
having to find money to get contractors to do the work, but
inevitable the Club needs funds to buy materials and for those items
of equipment etc.. it has no option but to purchase.
Harlow is recognised by the government as having areas of high
deprivation and accordingly the Club is committed to keeping its
charges to a minimum in order that nobody, especially young people,
are excluded on the grounds of affordability and hence part of the
need for self-help.
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The club is currently trying to raise funds for the following:
Coaching
- Level 1 Assistant Coaches Courses, including First Aid, Child
Protection Workshops and ECB Coaches Association Membership -
£298 each
- Level 2 Coaches Courses, including ECB Coaches Association
Membership - £335 each
The Club currently has 4 volunteers waiting to go on courses.
Equipment
- 3 sets of Spring Loaded Practice Stumps at a total cost of
£114
- 2 Target Rings at a total cost of £48
- 4 Sidearm bowling/throwing aids at a total cost of £88
- 35 Junior Cricket balls for matches in 2011,at a total cost of
£245
- 2 Pairs of Wicket Keeping Gloves (small and medium), at a
total cost of £58
- 12 Rubber Grips for Bats at a total cost of £36
- 24 Bowling Machine Balls at a total cost of £98
3rd and 4th XI Pitch (Spicers Field)
The Club's second pitch known as 'Spicers Field' is where most of
the Colts matches are played and a large proportion of the Colts
training is done. However 'Spicers' has no facilities and is some
distance from the Clubhouse where the facilities are sited. The
ground also has no scoreboard as the old one came to end of its
useful life last season. The Club would also like to buy a few items
that would make life a little easier. Hot water vacuum flasks to
take tea and coffee over to the ground for parents and visitors and
a substantial wheeled trolley to transport the coaching and playing
equipment to the ground in. We have checked prices and estimate that
this equipment will cost £494. To date we have raised £250
principally by virtue of a Colt's parent applying for a grant from
their employers.
'Spicers Field' is where most of the Colts matches are played and
a large proportion of the Colts training is done. However 'Spicers'
has no facilities and is some distance from the Clubhouse where the
facilities are sited. The ground also has no scoreboard as the old
one came to the end of its useful life last season. A new Colts
scoreboard on Spicers Field would cost £334. We have so far
raised £250 and require a further £84.
The club likes to offer parents and visitors a cup of tea when
they are watching the Colts play but by the time the tea is walked
to the ground from the Clubhouse it is often cold. The club would
like to by 2 Hot Water vacuum flasks to take tea and coffee over to
Spicers Field in a safe and more manageable way and these would
cost £60.
It is a problem getting the Colts coaching, especially the
bowling machine which is particularly bulky and heavy, and playing
equipment across to the Club's nets and/or onto Spicers from the
Equipment Store on the other ground. The Club would like to buy a
substantial wheeled trolley to help move the equipment about the
grounds at a cost of £110
Another problem on Spicers Field is the amount of surface water
that runs onto the ground from the higher adjoining land and this
sometimes stops the matches being played. In order to try and remove
this water the Club would like to purchase a Bowdry which is a
machine that can remove standing water at a cost of £702.
Other Items
- The clubs existing static net system is completely worn out
and needs replacing. The Club still needs to raise the balance of
replacing the cage that goes around the facility. Outstanding
balance - £3,859
- The Colts scoreboard on it's main ground called Marigolds is
in need of overhaul and repair. The Club wishes to buy the
materials and volunteer Club members will carry out the
restoration work. It has been estimated that the materials will
cost £80
- The Club needs more areas where the colts can be trained. One
way of doing this is to practice on Coconut Matting. The matting
could also be used during matches to cover adjacent wickets in wet
weather so that they do not get too damaged rather than have the
match called off. Two Coconut mats will cost £480
- The Club always hold a Family Six-A-Side Fun Day each year.
Colts, sometimes as young as 10 and parents including mothers if
they wish and grandparents all complete. The cost of running
this event is £300
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If you or your business are interested in helping us, please
contact us at
hccweb@hotmail.co.uk
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