Cricket ‘buddies’ pitch in

By Amy Taylor
UNTAIN Gate Cricket Club has combined young and old in a new age mentoring program, aimed at bridging the gap between senior and junior players.
The senior players took the initiative and started the program after deciding that they should be taking more of an interest in the juniors in an effort to bridge the gap between the age groups.
The program began in early December with more than 20 senior members now caring for their own individual buddy.
Shane Scanlon promoter of the program said he was pleased with the interest being shown.
“We’ve had a great reaction to the program,” he said.
Shane said each junior player was teamed up with a ‘buddy’ from the senior team, with both giving certain commitments to each other that they were expected to follow.
“Each senior team member is asked to attend at least two matches of their new junior friend and one training session throughout the season to help with the skills development,” he said.
“In return, the juniors are encouraged to watch their senior mentor play at least twice during the season, which in turn provides support and a boost in crowd numbers to games.”
Shane said the mentor program was proving to be a great success, with personal bonds developed and improved communication between the age and social groups.
“It’s not just the age gap, but the cultural backgrounds that we want to bring together,” he said.
The popularity of the mentor program at Fountain Gate will be reinforced with a Twenty20 match soon to be scheduled between mentors and buddies to showcase their new relationships.