COVID-19 Update Click to view in browser

Dear all, We hope you were able to enjoy the bank holiday weekend. Below is the latest COVID-19 update which includes an update on the recreational game. Recreational Game update Last night the government confirmed that groups of six can meet outside from Monday June 1,  provided people from different households observe social distancing (staying 2m apart). This applies to England, with the First Minister of Wales today announcing that people from two different households in the same local area can meet outside.   While this is good news, it is not an immediate ‘go’ for organised team sports. We are having discussions with Sport England and DCMS about what this means specifically for cricket, to then understand how we can support our clubs to initiate plans to get people back playing cricket.   Yesterday ECB published guidance for the professional domestic season, which will not restart before 1 August.   Recreational cricket will work to a different timeline, but one that again, will be guided by changes to Government advice. We continue to work with DCMS to see its phased return, and it is our hope that we can provide opportunities to play to everyone this summer.   For now, the recreational game remains suspended with no cricket to be played with the sole exception of, in England, the ability to use outdoor cricket facilities (nets and pitches) for the purpose of undertaking exercise. You can access this guidance here.    Like all fans of cricket, we wish to see our players, from every part of the game, safely return to the field as soon as possible. With the brilliant spell of weather, we have enjoyed lately, we too understand the immense frustration an absence of play is causing. Thank you all for your patience, as we, alongside everyone else in society, abide by the timelines we have been given by Government. Updated Guidelines from the Grounds Management Association The Grounds Management Association (GMA, formerly the Institute of Groundsmanship), working in partnership with the ECB, have recently updated their advice to those managing cricket grounds during COVID-19 lockdown. These updates are in response to the current weather, where we are in the growing season and recent updates from the ECB on The Use of Outdoor Cricket Facilities During Lockdown. Key updates include reducing grass cut heights to help with sward density, managing irrigation on squares and avoiding dry rolling, spiking and deep scarification, all of which can cause problems on dry squares. The advice is aimed at ground staff managing grounds at all clubs, schools and local authorities and is available here. #Raisethebat - Celebrating our Cricket Heroes Following the nominations that you have been sharing over the past few weeks, we are delighted to let you know about details of our Raise The Bat campaign which will be going live on Monday. The campaign is intended to recognise and thank all key workers, but especially those within our cricket community who have laid down their bats to help us get through this difficult time. In honour of their dedication, we are encouraging the whole cricket community to raise their bats in tribute. We are paying special tribute to a selection of nominees who have been recognised by our England teams. However, we know there are others out there who are doing amazing things and would like to use the campaign as an opportunity to identify more cricket-loving key workers and recognise them through your channels too. The campaign will launch 10am on 1 June and run through to 8 July, appearing on outdoor media in key cities and across the ECB’s digital and social channels. We will be driving user-generated content across social channels through the use of the hashtag #raisethebat, asking people to recognise key workers they know and raise their bat to them. From Monday, a selection of assets will be available to download from the ECB Resource Hub, and we will also upload a toolkit which shows the campaign objectives and creative, and provides more detail on how you can support this campaign across your own channels, including some key messaging to help. Should you have any queries on this, please don’t hesitate to get in touch in the first instance with your County Board. COVID-19 Support from NatWest Whilst we’re waiting for cricket to return, if you’re looking for some new inspiration and support for home-schooling to keep young cricket fans and future players entertained, take a look at NatWest MoneySense Programme and MoneySense Monday’s for interactive fun whilst they’re at home. NatWest MoneySense is a free, fun programme for children aged between 5 and 18 available online, we’ve even included a fun cricket puzzle for 8-12 year olds which you can view and download here, plus take a look at the new Island Saver game which you can also download. Currently, every Monday morning, we’re live on NatWest Facebook and YouTube channels for an engaging and interactive lesson. NatWest MoneySense Monday’s live focuses on a different topic each week to help introduce finance at home. Take a look at a recent lesson where we had special guest Michael Vaughan and his daughter Jemima taking part in a fundraising task. For more inspiration and support on home schooling your young cricket fans and future players, check out all the MoneySense sessions on our NatWest YouTube channel here. Start your coaching journey today Through iCoach Cricket you can access hundreds of games and practices for at home and the club. As we begin to think about when we might return there’s never been a better time to begin your coaching journey. The platform here provides regularly updated content including drills, training plans, and interviews to inspire and support you on your coaching journey. Have a look at the latest additions below to provide some inspiration: Robbo’s garden One ball one bat Ladder, pipe, roof, mat, umbrella, coin and chair ECB LIVE! Interviews with Jane Powell & Ashley Giles

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Cricket Wales Statement - 15th May 2020

Cricket Wales notes and applauds the efforts of the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in relation to their guidance issued to clubs in England, regarding permitted cricket activity, following the relaxation of lockdown rules in England.

Per our statement of Monday 11th May, the regulations regarding exercise in Wales have not materially changed and, therefore, cricket activity in Wales should, sadly, remain suspended.

Cricket Wales, alongside colleagues from other Welsh sports, met with Welsh Government officials & Sport Wales this week, kindly facilitated by the Welsh Sports Association.  We will continue to amplify these discussions as a sector, to endeavour to define and refine what ‘return to play’ might look like in Wales. 

Our collective goal is positive preparation for the safest possible return for participants of all sports, at the right time, in line with government guidance and scientific advice. In the short term, we are focussed on developing principles and proposals which can be considered by Welsh Government as part of the next review of lockdown regulations, and further statements and updates will be issued in the coming weeks, as appropriate.

We would like to reassure the Cricket Family that we and all Welsh National Governing Bodies fully share the public’s desire to return to activity, however we also remain acutely mindful of our duty of care to our participants, and our responsibility to our communities and to our NHS, who have done - and continue to do - an outstanding job in these unprecedented times.

We urge everyone to continue to observe the Welsh government guidelines and we hope everyone remains safe and well.

COVID-19 Update Click to view in browser

Dear all, Following this week’s government announcements, below is the most up to date guidance regarding the recreational game, in particular the use of outdoor facilities. We ask that you continue to Stay Alert and abide by the social distancing recommendations that are still in place. Recreational Game Update The below provides an Executive Summary of our latest guidance on the use of outdoor facilities. The full guidance can be found here.   Executive Summary The purpose of these guidelines is to offer practical guidance to players and clubs on the steps they should take to remain safe whilst undertaking exercise in an outdoor cricket club environment.    These guidelines currently apply to England only. Lockdown restrictions remain in place in Wales with a review due to take place on 28 May 2020.    These guidelines have been produced in line with the UK Government guidance on public spaces, outdoor activity and exercise published on 11 May 2020, which can be read here. Supporting guidance published on 13 May 2020 can be found here. All activity should be consistent with the Government guidance regarding health, social distancing and hygiene.   In ‘Our Plan to Rebuild’, the UK Government stated that team sports should not be played outside of a household. ECB maintains the position that all recreational cricket remains suspended until further notice, with the sole exception of the use of outdoor cricket facilities (nets and pitches) for the purpose of undertaking exercise as set out in our detailed guidance document. Our primary and ongoing goal is to protect the health of everyone in and around the game.    The adjusted lockdown restrictions provide an opportunity for the use of outdoor cricket facilities (nets and pitches) for the purpose of undertaking exercise. In summary: You can exercise outdoors on your own, with members of your household or with one other person from outside your household while keeping two metres apart at all times. You must only exercise in groups of no more than two people, unless you are exercising exclusively with members of your household. Social distancing of at least two metres must be maintained at all times (unless all participants are members of the same household). Only one-to-one coaching is permitted per session. Nets should be used on an ‘every other’ basis, leaving one net free between nets. Clubhouses can be reopened in a limited way for operational reasons (e.g. for access to first aid equipment) or for toilet access (see full guidance) but all communal areas including bar, changing rooms etc are to remain closed for general use. Toilet facilities can be opened if the venue wishes, but particular care should be taken by those using them and those cleaning them. Where they are open, venues must ensure soap and water is provided. No indoor activity at all. We recommend using your own equipment if possible. If equipment is being shared, please follow UK Government’s guidance on the sharing of equipment. No saliva or sweat should come into contact with the ball at any time. Wash hands at home before and after using the outdoor facilities. Bring your own hand sanitiser where possible. ECB is clear that outdoor facilities should only reopen if those responsible for them are ready to do so and they can do so safely, following public health guidance: no club should reopen their outdoor facilities if they feel unable to meet the requirements. For clubs, you will need to have the following in place: Properly maintained facilities. A booking system for outdoor space or other means to manage access and demand. The capability to advise individuals when booking to check for symptoms of COVID-19 and in turn to advise individuals when booking that - in line with current Government guidance - if they are symptomatic, living in a household with a possible COVID-19 infection or if they are classified as extremely vulnerable on health grounds, they should remain at home and follow Government guidance. A sanitation procedure between use/booking. A representative of the club on site during the hours that the outdoor facilities are open for use. Closed signs should be displayed when facilities are not open (including where a club does not wish to or is not ready to reopen) to deter use by general public particularly where there is open access. Updated signage and access points. For individuals, you will need to:   Seek confirmation from the club that it has reopened and make a booking. Check for symptoms of COVID-19. In line with current Government guidance, if you are symptomatic, living in a household with a possible COVID-19 infection or if you are classified as extremely vulnerable on health grounds, you should remain at home and follow Government guidance. Avoid public transport if at all possible. ECB has provided detailed guidance on the preparation and administration of outdoor facilities for clubs, and guidelines for participation for individuals. The situation is evolving constantly, and we will continue to update our guidance as more information becomes available. Further advice is available at the GOV.UK and Sport England websites. Please regularly check these sites and the updated ECB guidance as this policy position is likely to change over time and could also become more regionalised and localised as time progresses. The full guidance document can be found here. Nominate your Cricket heroes There are some great ideas coming in from across the network, we’ve seen one from Worcestershire and Warwickshire on nominating their Cricket Heroes, and we’d like to scale this to a national campaign celebrating the games key workers. We want to thank all those key workers across the country who are working so hard to protect us all, and keep the country running during this time. In particular, we want to thank individuals from the recreational game who have laid down their bats and balls for the summer in order to support us all. If you know of any key workers, (e.g. NHS, Teachers, Care Home Workers) within your county who you wish to nominate as a Cricket Hero please share your nominations with us by emailing us here  before 12pm on Monday. Please note the only way to nominate is via email. We’ll collate these and will be in touch with both you and your nominations if your submission is selected as one of our profile nominations. Please include Full name of your nomination Email of the person you are nominating* The reason for nominating them The club they play at *This email address will only be used for correspondence relating to this initiative and not any other marketing purposes. Nominate your heroes NatWest MoneySense We know that whilst some of us are staying home with our young cricket fans, it can be difficult to keep home schooling engaging. We take our hats off to all those who are currently doing this! NatWest MoneySense is a free, online fun programme for children aged between 5 and 18. Each week, NatWest MoneySense Monday’s will focus on a different topic to help introduce finance topics at home. On Monday 18th May at 10.30 - 11.00am NatWest ambassador and England Cricket legend, Michael Vaughan and his daughter, Jemima, will be joining the MoneySense Monday’s session for 8-12 year olds. The interactive lesson will focus on fundraising for charities, including what charity to choose, running fundraising events and how to communicate your fundraising. For more inspiration and support on home schooling your young cricket fans and future players, join in on NatWest Facebook and YouTube channels this Monday. Staying Connected Over the course of the next few weeks we’ll be sharing our latest videos, content and updates with the recreational cricket family over email and across our social media channels. We recognise that there is a nervousness from clubs that they may lose contact with their club members during this time and we want to do everything we can to help keep cricket at the forefront of their minds. We’d encourage you and your networks to follow our social media channels below, and to remind your cricketers that whilst they may normally receive their weekly stats via player-comms, if they haven’t opted in to marketing communications we sadly won’t be able to continue to communicate with them whilst there is no cricket. For those who are opted-in, an example of the types of communications we are sharing can be found here. This will be sent on Saturday morning. Please do share the opt-in link above and visit the Facebook page via the link below.  Play-Cricket Facebook The Dynamos Cricket App The Dynamos Cricket app is now available to download via the links below and we would encourage you to share the download links with your cricket networks. The Dynamos Cricket app is the perfect cricket application for all children aged 8+, and it is designed for those who have never played cricket before, as well as those looking to build on what they already know.  The 18 different skills videos and interactive quizzes provide lots of ways for children to get active at home, even with minimal space and equipment. Download for IOS Download for Android Coach Development during COVID-19 with icoachcricket As part of our response to the cancellation and postponement of face-to-face programmes and workshops we have launched a series of coaching webinars, held every Thursday afternoon. The webinars have allowed us to continue developing and supporting coaches at what would have been a busy period both locally and nationally. So far Jane Powell, Ashley Giles and Peter Such have been our guests – the recordings are available in the Kitbag area of icoachcricket here. Our next icoachcricket Live will be held at 2.00pm on Thursday 21st May and features Vicky Macqueen, founder of Didi Rugby and former England rugby international, sharing her insights into coaching young children, how to involve parents in sessions and what this may begin to look like as we return to a ‘new normal’. Register here to secure your place or contact coachdevelopment@ecb.co.uk for more information.

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