Bentley Archers Cricket & Sports Club: Manifesto 2022

Bentley Archers Cricket & Sports Club Manifesto 2022 

Bentley Archers Cricket & Sports Club’s Manifesto is to be an outstanding Cricket & Sports Club inspired to:- 

1) Increase participation in cricket at all age groups from child, youth to adult
By ensuring that every boy and girl is introduced to the game and is given the opportunity to progress through a structured coaching and support programme. To do this by adopting the ECB ‘Cricket Unleashed’ plan which states “together, we will get a bat and ball into more hands, introduce more people to the power of cricket and show a new generation how to get involved.” (See www.cricketunleashed.com) Coupled with the Allstars Cricket and Dynamos Cricket we see participation as the cornerstone of success.
 

2) Maximise the sporting excellence of Bentley and surrounding area.
As a key sport and recreation provider work with the Town, Borough and County councils, voluntary organisations, and local sports clubs to maximise the opportunity for local people, particularly the young, to achieve sporting excellence in cricket, strengthening social and community cohesion and promoting the town.
 

3) Strengthen cricket as a core sport in Bentley & Village school. 

In conjunction with the Chance to Shine Charity and ECB programs, develop a close working relationship with all schools. Help to ensure a high standard of coaching. To make the cricket ground available for inter-school matches and practice raising the profile amongst the children complementing the colts sections of the club in the future. 

4) Collaborate with other local cricket clubs to create opportunities for more cricket to be played.
With the focus on new players share best practice and use insight to deliver enjoyable casual but serious cricket in different formats of the game. 

Ensure the cricket on offer has a wide appeal attracting new members of variable standard and time to play. Support innovative forms of the game such as Last Man Stands. 

5) Upgrade the playing facilities. 

By launching a major project to make the existing ground one of excellence with a new cricket square built to modern standards with a fine outfield and with play from north to south so that evening sun does not, as at present interfere with play. Re-site and build a new dedicated but multi- use cricket pavilion. Install high quality practice nets. Allow for a better entrance to the ground with good parking facilities. Provide good facilities for spectators and guests to enjoy. Preserve benefits of existing Recreation ground within green hinterland north of A31 currently under threat from a house building onslaught. 

6) Revive historic tradition of playing outstanding cricket in Bentley. 

Bentley’s cricketing history is the stuff of folklore with references to the old Recreation Ground and tales of Sir Donald Bradman and the like. In more recent times the Bentley Cricket Club was a social Team that unfortunately disbanded some 20 years ago. 

With such a heritage and having done it before the club sets to clearly imagine an outlook of building an outstanding club with a strong fixture list through ongoing team development using home grown players and others attracted to a club of cricketing inspiration. 

7) Ensure Financial Stability with a Strong Business Model. 

Use the building of a new cricket ground and the eventual redesign of the new multipurpose pavilion to give creative opportunity to explore other income streams to share in the fixed annual costs thus keeping the playing of Cricket and other sports such as Football affordable to all. Consider a pavilion and ground capable of introducing another sport complementing cricket and Football, but new to Bentley. In the meantime, improve income potential from the existing pavilion with an open and detailed approach.