Belhus Cricket Club News Flash

(above date is when this information was last updated)

***IMPORTANT NEWS: The weekend of 29th-30th July is the closing date for tour party applications. Beyond this point, the handbook is being printed and teams selected.

Dates of Tour
From Monday 13th August 2007 until Friday 17th August 2007, both days inclusive. We stay overnight on four evenings, returning home after close of play and final presentations at our Friday fixture.

Tour Management
Our tour party will be led by Cliff Cansdale, our hon. Youth Chairman. He is an ECB level two qualified coach and currently Belhus fourth team captain. Vastly experienced in organising and leading youth cricket tours - holds minibus driving safety certificate and first aid certification. Also a fully qualified umpire.

Brian Edwards and his wife, Carol, will also be based at Roedean for the duration of the tour. Brian in in his eighth year as hon. chairman of Belhus Cricket Club and has been an excellent supporter of the club's youth section throughout. Brian is also a very experienced senior captain and has been a youth team manager for the club.

At 18, Michael Cansdale is a former playing member of previous youth tours of Sussex in 2003 and 2004. He is now first eleven captain (Sundays) and is a qualified ECB level one coach and holds a first aid qualification.

Transport
Will be by parents cars, though to assist with travel we have hired a minibus from the Essex Association of Boys Clubs.

Accommodation
Following site visits to three potential venues in January 2007, we have offered the excellent facilities at Roedean School, on a bed, breakfast and lunch basis. Each person will have an individual room in a large "house" which is exclusively ours for the duration of our tour. The school offers a large playing field with cricket pitch and tennis courts plus indoor heated swimming pool and use of the indoor sports hall including cricket nets at no extra cost. Our accommodation also offers an excellent lounge and segregated accommodation for girls and boys.

Orignally we would have been sharing the facilities at Roedean with a commercial youth Summer Camp, but they have now cancelled and we have exclusive use of the facilities except for 25 students who will also be staying at Roedean. The swimming pool may not always be available during our stay due to essential maintenance work.

The school is situated on the eastern outskirts of Brighton, East Sussex, in a prime location offering excellent views over the English Channel.

Cost of Tour
For accompanied players, there will be NO CHARGE for transport not required, or any related cricket costs. All you pay for is the cost of accommodation. See below for full costings.

PLAYERS
Accompanied by parent/guardian also staying at Roedean (see below) £100 per person, cheque to be made payable to Roedean School Enterprises Ltd.

Unaccompanied players - £130 per person. Cheque for £100 payable to Roedean School Enterprises Ltd and a second cheque for £30 payable to Belhus Cricket Club.

NON PLAYERS/ADULTS
Accommodation costs only - £100 per person, cheque to be made payable to Roedean School Enterprises Ltd.

Player Eligibility
The tour is open to any Belhus junior member, up to and including school year eleven, that is our U16 age group. Depending on numbers, we may be able to organise a "youth" and a "junior" itinerary, if there is good support from across all age groups in the club. Even if this is not the case, as in past tours, younger members will be selected adequately into existing teams. We will be advising our opponents of the ages and abilities of our team to ensure, wherever possible, a balanced game.

Fixtures
As usual, our fixtures will be organised around the structure provided locally by the Sussex Junior Cricket Festival, with the exception of Monday 13th August, when we have a game organised through one of the club's funding partners, Access Sport. On this occasion, we play an U15 game in Berkshire with another partner cricket club of Access Sport. We then travel direct from Berkshire to our tour headquarters at Roedean.

Monday 13th August 2007
U11 to U15 Fixture at Purley on Thames CC, 1pm start.

Tuesday 14th August 2007
U15 to U16 fixture at Littlehampton, Clapham and Patching CC, 2pm start.

Wednesday 15th August 2007
U11 to U16 multi-age youth fixture at St. Matthias CC, 2pm start.

Thursday 16th August 2007
U11 to U16 Multi-Age Youth Fixture at Worthing CC, 2pm start

Friday 17th August 2007
We have two fixtures of equal prominence to round off our 2007 Sussex Tour.
There is an U11 to U16 Multi-Age Fixture at Henfield CC, 1.30pm start.
Additionally an adult and junior combined team will be playing at Eastergate CC, 2pm start.

Other Events possibly forming part of tour itinerary...
On Monday 13th, though unlikely we could visit due to our itinerary, there is speedway action at the Arlington Stadium when Eastbourne Eagles host Swindon, 7.30pm start.

On Tuesday 14th, after our game at Littlehampton, there is the possibility of watching a football match - Bognor Regis Town take on Hampton and Richmond in the South Conference, 7.45pm kick-off.

Crazy golf competition

Cricket Nets (available at Roedean)

Eastbourne Air Show

Pitch and Putt Competition

Pool Tournament

Swimming (indoor heated pool available at Roedean)

Tennis tournament (courts available at Roedean)

Tenpin Bowling

Tour Party
If you wish to join the tour party, please contact Cliff Cansdale on 07817 066935 (call or text) or via Email.

Parents Meeting
A parents meeting has been arranged for Monday 23rd July 2007 at the North Stifford clubhouse, 7.30pm start. This will be an opportunity for parents to ask as many questions about the tour as you wish, as well as finalising the tour party and arranging for booking forms to be completed for forwarding to Roedean School.