Ole And Bruce In Derbyshire Cricketing Landmark
Two young High Peak cricketers got a nice surprise when they decided to become members of Derbyshire County Cricket Club. Bruce Glover and Ole Madden both play cricket for Whaley Bridge under 13s, and they are also both in the High Peak under 13s district squad. As part of the build up to the new season for the district squad, they were invited to train at the County Ground in Derby for a week just after Easter, and it was then that they decided to join the County Cricket Club as this allowed them to get a significant discount in the club shop! A few days later, Ole received a telephone call informing him that he was the 1,000th junior member, and that Bruce was the 999th.
Derbyshire are quite rightly proud of this achievement, having taken the decision to make junior membership free of charge in an attempt to boost junior numbers. Three years ago the club attracted just 23 junior members, but now the removal of the membership fee, together with an increase of the junior age to 13, has seen the membership race to four figures and beyond. Not surprisingly, Derbyshire CCC decided to commemorate the event by inviting the boys to be their guests for the day, whilst also undertaking a photo shoot for club literature.
They were met by the Derbyshire Chairman, Chris Grant, as well as first team all-rounder Tim Groenewald and the Derbyshire Falcons mascot. After the photo shoot they were shown around the ground, and given access to the members pavilion to watch the County Championship Division Two encounter between Derbyshire and Leicestershire. The cricket was enthralling for the die-hard members and cricketing purists, however Ole and Bruce spent most of the day bowling at each other in the indoor school.
The experience has really whetted their appetite for the new season, but the start has been hampered by rain. “We would have been up to the nets almost every day after school, but we’ve not been able to because of the weather,” explained Ole, and Bruce agreed. “At least we got four days of practice at Derby,” he said.
The new season is now upon us, and they will encounter proper cricket for the first time as the under 13s age group changes from pairs cricket to traditional cricket. This can only be good for their development, something that they both appreciate. “It will be good to bat for more than a few overs,” said Ole, but Bruce added a note of caution, “but we could get out first ball and that’s the end of it,” he laughed. You can keep up to date with the boys’ progress, and that of all of the Whaley Bridge teams at www.whaleybridgecc.co.uk. You will also be able to see match reports in the Buxton Advertiser.
For more information on cricket in the High Peak please see the following websites:-
High Peak District
http://highpeakdistrict.play-cricket.com/home
