Sent: 20 June 2007 08:36
Dear Xxxxx,
After an enjoyable and successful season with the Juniors (Under 13), my son Xxxx was very much looking forward to this summer. Alas, his experience with the Juniors (Under 15) thus far has been one of frustration and disappointment.
For almost every match which my son has been selected, he has been given very little notice. At first, we believed that this was because the club's organisational resources were stretched - as indeed many clubs are - by the usual problems of assembling a team.
A pattern began to emerge, however, when, on more than one occasion, my son has turned up to a cancelled net practice on a Monday to find that he was the only member of 'the squad' whom nobody saw fit to inform. (This has been particularly irksome for him, since his football club has summer training on the same night of the week, and which he would have attended instead).
I tackled the coach on the matter, pointing out to him that one might reasonably draw the conclusion that my son was on the periphery of the juniors' set up. He gave me effusive assurances that this was not the case.
Either my wife or I have watched every game in which he has played. Naturally, games limited to twenty overs will seldom offer a strong batting side like the juniors a chance to 'give everybody a go' during the same match. But, as of today's date, my son has not had a bat this year. He has shown remarkable patience in waiting for his chance, but the circumstances surrounding his last two appearances for the juniors have now caused his - and his parents' patience to crack.
First, in the match against Watsonains at Fettes, he was asked to bat at 9, having not bowled. Incidentally, the opening bowler, having bowled his full quota of overs opened the batting and was out for a duck to a cow shot that would have been about right from a number 9.
The home fixture last Monday took the biscuit. The coach rang up at lunchtime to ask if my son was available. On arriving at the ground, there were some new faces in the side including the son of a friend of my wife's. The lad had apparently 'joined a couple of days ago' and promptly been selected. My son on the other hand only learnt of his selection one hour before the match started on his return home from school.
Sadly, my son was present during this conversation. Can you imagine his mortification and embarrassment? Just to compound matters both newcomers were put in above him in the batting, and at 7, he was able to watch their efforts from the sidelines without getting a chance to have a go himself. My wife decided to tackle the coach after the game, but his re-assurances sound rather hollow now and are certainly not borne out by the facts. Bizarrely he appears to notice nothing unusual in our coming to watch our son field for an hour and a half, week in week out. I have been careful not to express the following opinions to my son. Indeed, I have been perhaps a little reluctant to form them myself.
First, my son has suffered an injustice at the hands of the club, an organisation whose objectives, should surely include the nurturing young cricketers. Every cricketer encounters 'club politics' at some time or another. I certainly did during my time as a cricketer at school, university, M.C.C., Middlesex League etc. etc.. What I never came across was the kind of snobbery as that which pervades the clique at the heart of the junior team.
My wife and I will be very interested to hear what measures you intend to take to rectify this sorry state of affairs. You did such a great job with the Under 13s last year, and were kind enough to take an interest in my son at the Scottish Cricket Academy.
In any event my son needs a plan to re-start his season as a matter of urgency.
Yours sincerely
Pushy Dad
