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[radiomark]

Hi
First question from me on here.
My son has been playing colts cricket for 4 years.this year he steps up to play seniors now he's 13.He's a pretty good player although fairly short.
we play in the lowest league possible.
Any advice for that next step and what are your memories of your  first senior game as a kid?

[Giraffe208]

My introduction into senior cricket was also at 13 although i wasn't that short and for those in the Kent area it was for Bickley Park 4's and the ground was the Sydenham Gas ground ( i think that's what it was called anyway).

Started pretty well.....inter club game made 55*. First league game hit 72. Second league game hit 103*. The transition was made easier by what you would call senior club players talking to me after ever over etc so that I played sensibly and adapted to the longer format of the game. I was then moved up into the 3rds and never looked back! It was quite a gentle standard in the 4's and the colts games felt of a higher standard it was just adapting to the length of game which was the only major aspect. As long as there are some good blokes in the team he should settle in no problems.

[mattcoll12491]

My first memories are from when I was 15, and I spent a season and a half batting 10,11 and fielding third man-to-mid off or even 12th manning. It actually made me hate cricket and I still hold a grudge to the captain to this day.

I'm all for giving kids a go, but make sure they're not just there to make the numbers up. I'm not saying open that batting every game or come on first change but make them feel wanted and part of the team because I felt like I was just a cog making up numbers when I first started playing seniors.

[Jimmyg]

A lot depends on the individual involved, the most important two points irrelevant of their physical size is whether they are good enough for the level of adult cricket proposed and that they are happy to take that step themselves. A good indicator is how he has got on the previous year when he has been playing up the older age groups, if as a 12 year old he has been playing against good quality U15/U16s then you would think that he would be well able to cope with low level adult cricket.

[ProCricketer1982]

I don't generally play against many 'youth' players but the odd team has them on Sundays and the main differences are purely the strength and speed. I know someone on here at -3 will be bowing 200mph but I've currently only seen a couple of genuine pace bowlers at youth level. So as long as they won't be scared of th ball as it's hit harder at them and are mentally prepared to potentially get smacked a bit (even if it's just initially while he builds confidence) then all will be good.

Length of the game  and how that affects your thinking will be something to learn, t20 slap and tickle hurts them initially as. Oat just try and hit every ball

[compstallcc]

im still playing colts and played my first senior game 13 and have had 100* and two 70's at senior level by 14 just take it like a junior game be confident and play your own game

[radiomark]

I think he's been preparing for this since he was about 9,he cant wait to start.He would prefer the games lasted five days.
He's the kind of player that if he survives the first over he will be there at the last ball.
we have 8 weeks of indoor nets soon to see how he goes

[Northern monkey]

Try and get him to learn something every game, ask him, what he's learnt?
Try and get him to look at as many aspects of the game as possible, ie fielding changes,did they work?
If he just focuses on one thing,say his batting, and he either doesn't get a bat or has a bad knock, ,it's easy to get down about the whole day. But if he's looking at the whole game, whatever happens, he should be able to take away something positive.

A huge thing for me, and one thing I've told my son to always work on, ,is fielding
I remember my son and his cousin,playing for our midweek team years ago,they were both about 10, ,we never lost a match while they played! They were only making numbers up, but their fielding was enough to make the difference between winning and losing.
Tell him to chase everything, get something in the way of the ball,throw straight, , ,etc

And remember, there's a fine line between encouragement and being pushy.

[Gelds]

As has already being mentioned the standard of cricket is probably higher in the juniors but this season will be about the change in mentality with the game being longer. When I captained our 2's a few years ago we had 3 lads who were 13/14 (who were good enough and were all bowling their quotas) and the biggest thing was keeping them going in the field (really good for 30 overs then concentration drops for the last hour) but after 5/6 games they were fine. The other thing is bravery as the ball is often hit a lot harder, but again this will come with experience.
The important thing is that he continues to enjoy the game, which if he's as keen as you say won't be a problem. Good luck for the season!

[A-Swing-And-A-Miss]

Started playing Sunday league cricket at 13 and spent two years being the guy they called when they were struggling to get 11 players, very rarely got a bowl and then batted at 11. Aged 15 I got asked to play on a Saturday because their 2nd XI only had 9 players, took 1-15 off 5 and haven't looked back. Two years later I now open the bowling for the 1sts on a Saturday aswell as on a Sunday.

Moving up into adult cricket is a fairly big transition due to length of the game, extra fielders etc. that you're not used to. It probably didn't help that the Sunday league team was playing a pretty strong standard and so couldn't necessarily afford to bat me up the order and give me a bowl so I could improve. So essentially aim to find a team with a good captain who doesn't necessarily care about winning or having a bat themselves who is playing at a fairly low standard.

[radiomark]

We're fortunate that with a large colts section and an excess of seniors,  the 4th team was set up as a feeder for colts to play senior cricket
and to let us less talented players have a game every week.
The captain is a junior coach as well.
we play to win but always have a laugh and joke.
thanks for all your replies

[Butterfingerz]

If you want him to improve you need to find him a good coach, they will be able to assess his ability and with local knowledge of leagues and teams be able to guide him through the next couple of years

[beaver5]

The sooner he gets to play senior cricket the better it will be for his progression. I'm a PE teacher and say this to all juniors with potential. I started playing 2nd team league at 13 and was a batsman who bowled a bit of leg spin. I started at 11 and they gave me a bowl every week and regularly picked up wickets. Size is not important, I'm short, but some skill is. I was a good fielder so found myself in the covers fairly quickly. I showed that I could bat by staying in. Things changed when we collapsed in a game to 70 odd of 8. I came in and score 48 not out and by the end of the season I'd moved to opener. I was 14 at this point. I was starting to score 50's in most games when playing for the juniors as a result of playing alongside adults at the weekend.

My village side which plays only Sunday and Wednesday friendlies have helped a lot of younger players. They get the chance to learn key skills at a better standard than junior cricket. Two lads in particular made huge progress playing for us and now play for 1st teams in the Birmingham league.

[gdb19]

I started playing senior cricket at 11 in our 4th team and didn't get many chances until I was drafted into the 3rds at 13 - opened the bowling and took something like 4-40 then bowled regularly.

Main thing I remember is that a lot will depend on his skipper and his attitude to juniors. My 4th team skipper was a good bloke but didn't give us too many chances. If his skipper is a junior coach he may get a chance to bat/bowl so he just needs to take it but not worry about failing. I loved playing senior cricket as a junior but some really good junior players didn't adjust to the longer game and ended up not fulfilling their potential. Just tell him to enjoy it and not be worried about playing against adults - at a lower level they may only be physically stronger and not much better players.