CRICKET

Summary

Our new performance programme carried on into Term 2 as we prepared to finally ditch the indoor facilities for some much needed sunshine.

SUMMER PRE-SEASON

The club has benefitted from two pre-seasons this calendar year, starting with a ‘Power-Up Pre Season’, designed to get our studentathletes into winning habits as they return from the Christmas break.

With a desire to improve on last year's preseason and play more fixtures, the committee organised a summer pre-season schedule comprising nearly 15 fixtures across our five teams, with some highly reputable sides featured, including Gloucestershire Academy and Cardiff UCCE

Inevitably, the UK then faced its wettest March since 1981, and April wasn't much better. With all pre-season games cancelled, and a severe lack of practice on grass, we have adapted well and still put on a high class fulltime pre-season schedule, catering for over 60 student-athletes in the week.

Highlights included:

Competitive nets, skills work, and fielding on

the 3G and Astros

S&C delivered by Dr Will Sparkes

Mental skills and sports psychology with Connor Grant

Team-building workshops, teambreakfasts and a whole-Club curry night.

As BUCS finally gets underway and our season begins, let’s pray for sunshine! I am highly optimistic that it won’t be long before we are sitting on our beloved Coombe Dingle Pavilion balcony watching some high quality Bristol cricketers enjoy so much of the success that they have worked so hard for

We have begun the early stages of developing a long-term partnership with our local proside, Gloucestershire County Cricket Club

This has involved taking a mixed group of our most talented players to use the Bristol Indoor Centre, to train in a professional environment. It is one of the best indoor cricket facilities in the West

Both our Men and Women Seamers have also benefitted from sessions with Robbie Josephs, the Gloucestershire 1st Team Bowling Coach

Our Women’s player/Assistant Coach, Melissa Story (who is unfortunately not eligible for BUCS this year), made her debut for Gloucestershire Women’s 1st XI, taking 2 wickets on debut as they won the game against Shropshire.

Thanks

As always, a huge thank you to everyone involved in supporting cricket at the University of Bristol. From support staff to groundsmen operations to the coaches; we appreciate all the hard work you do in making this Cricket Club so special Bring on the summer!