A new cohort of cricket lovers have been unearthed in Alice Springs following the success of a Woolworths Cricket Blast Program held in late 2023.
Over 50 kids, aged from 5 – 12 years, took part in the seven-session program designed to provide young cricketers with basic stills to kickstart their cricketing careers.
NT Cricket’s Alice Springs Cricket Officer Kesh Keerthi said the program, held on Friday evenings at Traeger Park, was a resounding success.
“To have over 50 kids register and participate in the Blast program was an amazing result.
“The game-based activities and structure of the program made sure kids were gaining the necessary skills to progress through to a junior cricket program, all while having fun,” said Keerthi.
Following the Blast program's success, the Alice Springs Cricket Association (ASCA) is now preparing to launch an Under 10s cricket program in the second half of the 2023/24 season.
The program, due to start on February 16, already has 29 Blasters signed up, eager to continue their Friday night cricket sessions.
NT Cricket’s Head of Cricket Darren Treumer said the Blast program provided the perfect segway into structured cricket and the demand for a program for young cricketers in Alice Springs was great to see.
“The Blast program is a great introduction to the game of cricket and I’m so pleased we were able to give kids such a great experience that has them wanting more.
“There is a real appetite for junior cricket in Alice Springs and it’s fantastic to see all five local clubs embracing this and working hard to enter a teams into the Under 10s grade,” said Treumer.
REGISTER FOR U10s NOW WITH YOUR LOCAL CLUB
| Club | Registration link |
| Alice Tigers Cricket Club | Register for Alice Tigers |
| Complete Construction Works Cricket Club | Register for CCC |
| Federals Cricket Club | Register for Federals |
| Rovers Cricket Club | Register for Rovers |
| West Cricket Club | Register for West |
For more information on the ASCA Under 10s program please contact Kesh Keerthi at kesh.keerthi@ntcricket.com.au
Previously, an Under 11s program grade provided the Red Centre’s youngest cricketers with the opportunity to play the game whereas the 2023/24 model is designed to transition junior cricket in the region into three evenly spread age brackets with the Under 13 and Under 16 grades already underway.