We hope to see as many of you as possible in the coming weeks, notably at our first Club Night on Fri, 25 April in College Meadow (69 Marvels Lane, SE12 9PH), where the bar will be open with the bbq, as usual!

In the meantime, please do take note of the points below, and do not hesitate to contact the relevant club/team managers, as necessary.

COMMUNICATIONS
We have two main channels for communicating with members - Pitchero and WhatsApp. ECB’s Play-Cricket is also worth setting up if you’re keen to follow stats, league tables, etc., although this is optional given that all fixtures will appear on Pitchero anyway.

Unless already done, please download the Pitchero app, create a login, select Old Elthamians Cricket Club, and update all your membership details, including date of birth/school year, medical conditions, and join the relevant age groups/teams. Fixtures, availabilities and team selections will be managed via Pitchero, as also membership payments and, for seniors, match fees.

Please contact your team managers to add you to the relevant WhatsApp groups which will be the main channel for regular messages, typically related to logistics, but also for some really good content, including match reports, photos, etc. (the club’s socials are also well-worth following, especially @elthamianscc on Instagram).

MEMBERSHIPS
We hope that most of you have already subscribed to season memberships. If you haven’t done so, please sign up before the start of the season - relevant options can be found on our club shop. If you are, or have, new members joining the club this year, please follow the steps outlined here.

We are also pleased to offer the very popular ECB All Stars programme, starting Fri, 9 May 2025, for our youngest members, children in Year 2 or lower school years. Please sign up for All Stars here.

KEY DATES
We have a host of events coming up over the next 4 months, which can be both exciting and, as we know from being parents/players ourselves, sometimes confusing too. We hope that the key days/dates for trainings and matches set out below will help parents and players find your feet, especially if you’re new to the club.

Please note that some days/dates may change owing to weather and other factors, so please do look out for regular messages and announcements from your respective team managers on both Pitchero and WhatsApp pertaining to scheduling, selections, logistics, etc.

CONDUCT
We recommend that all members familiarise themselves with the club’s Code of Conduct, available on our club site. We expect all members, both parents and players, to uphold the highest standards of behaviour, both on and off the field, at all times during the season. Parents, in particular, are expected to demonstrate calm behaviour and act as role models at all times, notwithstanding all the excitement and tensions that inevitably occur at matches! Any breach of the code will not be tolerated by club management and potentially also risks members and/or the club as a whole being reprimanded by the Kent Cricket League.

VOLUNTEERS
As you know, the club is wholly run by volunteers, both parents and players. We run the club in our spare time and it takes a lot of effort from a vast group of people. We always need more volunteers though, and we welcome members who are interested in stepping up and helping out, whatever the role (cricketing background is NOT a pre-requisite), so please do not hesitate to reach out to club or team management at any point.

You will find relevant club contacts here. Whilst we will seek to respond as soon as possible, please bear in mind when making enquiries that an immediate response, and one that is to the satisfaction of everybody, is not always going to be possible.

SAFEGUARDING & HOUSEKEEPING
All club members and visitors must note the below important guidelines:

College Meadow Pavilion and grounds are the property of Eltham College - as such, there is a policy of no dogs & no smoking at all times, and the school’s facilities on the London Marathon side are not accessible until 6pm on weekdays.
Fire muster points are in the College Meadow car park and Eltham College car park. First Aid kit and Defibrillator available in CM Pavilion. DBS checked club officials to be present in all matches/training.

LOOKING AHEAD...
We appreciate that all of this may be a lot to take in, but when it comes down to it, the only thing to do really is to just dust off your cricket kit, turn up and enjoy some great cricket. All the best to our players for the season ahead, we look forward to all the fun and learning. All we need now is for the sun to come out and cooperate with us over the next 4 months!

Mark & Vijay

Key days/dates:

TRAINING
Friday Club Nights from Fri, 25 April to Fri, 25 July 2025 at College Meadow, group coaching led by professionals:
1. Girls (Year 3 & above) - 5:30-6:30pm (Y3-6 can also join the U9s, and older years can join the Women, at 6:30pm)
2. Women - 6:30-8:00pm
3. Juniors (Under 9s/11s/13s/15s) - 6:30-8:00pm
4. All Stars (Year 2 & below) - 6:30-7:30pm (starting Fri, 9 May)

Wednesday nets from Wed, 23 April to Wed, 23 July 2025 at London Marathon (access via College Meadow):
1. Under 17s (group coaching led by professionals) - 6:30-8:00pm
2. Seniors nets - 6:30-8:00pm

Weekend nets:
College Meadow nets accessible to all members for practice during fixtures, typically on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings (gates locked otherwise)

FIXTURES
Juniors (days/dates may vary - please look out for regular messages from respective Team Managers):

1. Under 9s (Years 3 & 4) - two teams (Spirit & Invincibles) managed by David Luck, Viral Mody, and Cat Clay; typically away games on Sunday mornings; SPL Bash and various festivals; starting Bank Holiday Monday, 5 May

2. Under 11s (Years 5 & 6) - managed by Jayakumar Mani & Naveen Warnakula; alternating home & away games:
Braves - typically Wednesdays (5:00-8:30pm); North Kent Junior League (Div 1 normal); starting W/C 5 May
Phoenix - typically Mondays (5:00-8:30pm); North Kent Junior League (Div 1 Pairs); starting W/C 12 May

3. Under 13s (Years 7 & 8) - managed by Kristian Turner & Ali Kazmi; alternating home & away games:
Blues - typically Tuesdays (5:00-8:30pm); North Kent Junior League (Div 2 NW); starting W/C 5 May
Greens - typically Thursdays (5:00-8:30pm); North Kent Junior League (Div 3 NW); starting W/C 12 May

4. Under 15s (Years 9 & 10) - managed by Vijay Raman and Mark Underwood; alternating home & away games on
Sundays (9:00am-12:30pm), starting Sun, 11 May:
As - North Kent Junior League (Div 2)
Bs - North Kent Junior League (Div 3)

5. Under 17s (Years 11 & 12) - managed by Robin Brooks & Martin Powis; alternating home & away games on Fridays
(5:00-8:30pm), starting Fri, 9 May:
As - North Kent Junior League (Div 2)
Bs - North Kent Junior League (Div 3)

Seniors - Saturday league and occasional Sunday friendly matches:
1st & 2nd XI - captained by Irvine Turner and Noah Woodrow respectively, alternating home & away games on Saturday afternoons (12:30-7:30pm), starting Sat, 3 May
3rd/Sunday XI - captained by Chris Evans, occasional home & away games on Sunday afternoons (12:30-7:30pm)

NEW! Women - our new women’s team (OEs Marvels) have entered the Kent Women’s Softball Cricket League in 2025! Matches currently scheduled for 26 May (at Sidcup), 1 June (at Old Colfeians), 20 June (at Old Elthamians), and 6 July (at Old Wilsonians). Girls who are in school Year 8 and older are able to play these matches.

Girls - we have not entered in a team in the Girls’ league, but we will look to organise friendly fixtures