Junior Programme

Elwood Cricket Club has a strong history of producing successful and inclusive junior teams. The Club’s junior program has had improved success over the previous seasons, with junior teams winning Premierships at the South East Cricket Association Under 16 and Under 14 level. The aim of the program for the coming years is to continue this success, and to strengthen the development of our junior players’ technique and temperament in the hope they will grow personally, stay with the Club, and move on to senior cricket.

Junior Coach

This season, the club has again recruited the services of a professional Coach for our Junior Program in Tom Hill. Tom is 22 years old and currently plays Premier Cricket for St Kilda Cricket Club. Tom played junior cricket for South Melbourne Districts from the age of 8 until the end of under 16s. Tom also played for Moorabbin Cricket Club starting in the JG Craig Shield and then played in the under 17s. Tom has represented both SECA and ISEC in representative carnivals, including the captaincy of ISEC in his under 18s years. Tom played senior cricket for a few years at Middle Park Cricket Club before moving to St Kilda where he played with many great players and created fantastic memories, including captaining their 4th XI to a premiership in season 2023/24 Tom is super passionate about coaching and has done it for the past 7 years across a range of age groups and levels. Highlights include being Assistant Coach of the ISEC Under 12 Mitchell Shield Team, coaching at St Michael’s Grammar School, Assistant Coaching at Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades Clinics, and seeing the success of the cricketers he has coached 1-on-1. Tom brings a super positive and upbeat energy to trainings, focussing on fun and continual improvement in each individual and their respective teams.

Cricket Pathway

Elwood’s junior program follows the Cricket Australia junior cricket pathway. The pathway is the foundation way is the foundation of the overarching Australian Cricket Pathway which provides a path from entry level programs all the way to Australian Teams. The Junior Cricket Pathway includes a staged approach to help kids develop the required skills in a fun and action packed way. The stages have been developed based on research, testing and community feedback and are considerate of the physical, mental and emotional development of kids. A key principle of the Australian Cricket Pathway is to encourage players to participate at the stage that is appropriate to their ability level and therefore the ages outlined are indicative only and could vary from males and females based on previous experience.

Junior Cricket

Elwood’s Junior numbers are strong, with our teams backed up by a dedicated team of coaches, player managers and parents. We have six teams entered across the South East Cricket Association’s Under 12 rookies, Under 12s, Under 14s and Under 16s competitions, and our boys can be seen in action on Friday nights and early Saturday mornings. Our junior program is managed by our hard working Junior Committee, who over the last few years have worked closely with the senior committee to orchestrate the program’s success. The Club has a dedicated Junior Coach who takes training sessions throughout the week and offers technical training and reinforces encouragement. The Elwood Cricket Club values the support of our volunteer parents and welcomes feedback. You can contact the junior committee and download the instructions to enter teams and scores into MyCricket below.