First time hearing about this cricket program
Okay so my neighbor, Dave, kept banging on about some cricket thing for kids last week during the barbecue. Honestly? I kinda tuned him out after burger number two. But my son Jack, he was right there fiddling with his phone, and suddenly his ears perked up. “Cricket? Like real cricket?” he asked. Dave immediately jumped in, all excited like, telling us about this “Little Master Cricket” program his nephew loves. My first thought? Probably another overpriced weekend thing kids get bored of after a month.
Actually getting Jack to check it out
Jack though, he wouldn’t let it go. Bugged me every evening. “Dad, please? Just see?” Fine, fine. Saturday morning, dragged myself out of bed way too early. The place wasn’t some fancy sports complex like I pictured. It was down near the rec center – decent space, nets set up, a bunch of plastic gear scattered about. Looked… functional. We met this coach, big guy called Baz, handshake nearly crushed mine. “Wanna have a go?” he grins at Jack. Didn’t even wait for my okay, just tossed Jack a plastic bat thing. Jack looked terrified! But Baz just laughed, really loud, and started showing him how to hold it, proper gentle-like. “Hands here, lad. Feet like this. Easy.” See, that surprised me. Expected yelling.
What actually happened during the session
Baz didn’t start with bowling rockets. Nah. He used these weird plastic balls first, bright colors, soft. He just rolled them super slow towards Jack. “Just try whack it, anywhere!” Jack missed the first few, face all scrunched up in concentration. Then – THWACK! Off goes this orange ball. Jack’s face? Priceless. Pure shock, then this huge smile, bigger than Christmas morning. Baz cheered louder than anyone. Then they did catching – with these enormous foam mitts, looked ridiculous but Jack caught one! Just a gentle toss, but he caught it! Started bouncing around like he’d won the lottery.
They ended with this silly game Baz called “Beat the Coach”. Just Jack trying to hit the plastic ball past Baz. Baz ran around pretending to be clumsy, diving dramatically when a ball trickled past him. Jack laughed so hard I thought he’d pop. Honestly, looked more like a playground giggle fest than serious sports. But Jack? Sweating, breathing hard, grinning non-stop.
What stuck with me after the first mess-around
Driving home, Jack wouldn’t shut up about it. “That was awesome! When can I go back?” Makes you think, right? Why was he so keen?
- Zero Pressure: See, Baz wasn’t checking his stance every two seconds or groaning if he missed. Just “Good try! Have another go!” Jack felt safe to mess up. Important, that.
- Pure Fun Stuff: The gear wasn’t scary hard stuff, the balls were soft, the rules were simple. It wasn’t about cricket rules yet, just hitting and catching and running about. Jack felt instantly good at it.
- That Coach Guy Baz: Loud, yeah, but full of energy. Encouraged everything, even the weak little hits. Made Jack feel like a superstar for just trying. Seems so simple, but makes a world of difference for kids.
- Moving & Laughing: Looked at my watch after – they were running, jumping, swinging for nearly an hour! Jack didn’t notice, too busy laughing at Baz pretending the ball hurt his toe. Exercise disguised as fun? Win.
Why I kept paying (and dragging him there every week)
Three weeks in now. Every Saturday, Jack is bouncing by the door before I’ve finished my coffee. He’s hitting those soft balls harder now, catching the small ones sometimes. Baz gives him little challenges – “See if you can hit that red cone next time!” Still rolling it slow. The key things I see?
He’s proud of himself. Shows me every tiny bit of progress.
He listens now when Baz explains stuff. Never thought he’d listen to anyone but his Xbox!
He comes home knackered. Like, properly tired from using his whole body. Sleeps better too.
He talks to the other kids! Bit shy, but started asking them “Want a turn?” after he hits one. Unheard of before!
Yeah, Dave called it. It’s not just cricket. It’s confidence wrapped up in foam balls and a loud coach who lets kids be kids while they learn. Watching Jack actually enjoy learning a sport? That’s the real win for me. Little Master Cricket? Yeah, worked for us.
