May Newsletter 2025: Season Update, May Half Term Courses, and More
Dear all,
I hope you are well and enjoying the wonderful weather that we have been blessed with recently. The cricket season has begun in earnest and it has been great to see the U9s, U11s and U13s start playing fixtures this season. I hope everyone has enjoyed testing their skills against other teams as well as having fun along the way. The U11s started off with an excellent win at Bledlow so well done to those involved in that victory – you are currently unbeaten!
Having experienced playing First Class cricket, Manoj is always very passionate about how he can further develop each of his individual players and nurture their skill and talent. Therefore, do not hesitate to get in touch with Manoj about how your child can develop further and gain more opportunities within the game of cricket. At MP Sports, we see all the children as individuals and therefore giving out bespoke guidance is a key part of our work.
Membership
There are still places for U9 membership which is available totally free of charge. The aim of this scheme is to give as many children as possible the opportunity to play cricket so if you do know of anyone who may be interested in coming along then do let them know and encourage them to sign up by the website or get in touch with us for more information. It does not matter if any potential participant is currently playing for other clubs – the more practice they get the better!
To become a member please click this link: https://mpsportscricketacademy.co.uk/membership/
If you have any problems or further questions about membership registration through the website, then please do not hesitate to contact us via email/phone/landline as we would be more than happy answer any queries and give you a step-by-step guide through the registration process.
May Half Term Course
May Half Term is fast approaching so now is the ideal time to mention that we will be running a course over this holiday at the MP Academy Sports Ground on Kingsey Road. It runs from Tuesday 27th May to Friday 30th May.
More details about the course, including a booking link, can be found HERE – More information and Booking form.
Would you like to help at MP?
MP Cricket Academy Voluntary (Physical): We have recently planted some more English Willow Trees. Our ambition is that these will be turned into cricket bats for the next generation of aspiring cricketers. We require a few people who have some free time to help water the Willow trees at the ground, they have been growing very nicely over the last few years and that is without doubt thanks to our volunteers who want to remain nameless. If you would also like to help, please contact us using the information below.
MP Sports Development Trust (Admin): We would like someone to help organise events and locations and to help sort funding for the various free Events we do, for Example Sports in the Street, Free Badminton Tournaments, Free Cricket courses, Free coaching at schools etc.
Alternatively, you can also help by volunteering, to do so just go to the volunteering section of our website linked below: https://mpsportsdevelopmenttrust.org.uk/
Sponsors/Investors
We are currently in the process of looking for sponsors/investors.
Founder and Director, Manoj Parmar is an ex-first-class cricketer from Saurashtra in India. Mr Parmar’s main aim is to inspire future generations of young cricketers to achieve their maximum potential and to help children become more active. For the past 36 years, he has worked tireless to offer a high-quality coaching and competition programme in and around Thame. He is determined to introduce children to the world of sport and offers a vast array of sporting opportunities at the ground. MP Sports Cricket Academy offers a comprehensive list of activities throughout the year including, indoor cricket matches during the winter; soft and hard ball practice; international courses; and diving catch practice at the local pool. The ground currently boasts two full sized cricket grounds and has brand new grass nets. Since its creation in 2009, the club has continued to grow, supporting 27 state schools in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire and catering for children as young as six, up to adult. The academy has a membership of over 100, with 400 children attending cricket camps over the summer. Clubs from across the county attend tournaments throughout the year and cricket teams/companies rent the ground for private matches and corporate events.
We are looking to acquire some more basic facilities at our sports ground, such as men’s and women’s toilets. Currently the cost of the changing rooms and toilets is about £25,000, this is the kind of money that we do not have. We would greatly appreciate any donations or sponsorship from your business; we will provide an invoice. Your donation would make a huge difference to our daily operations as we will be able to provide people with even more events at our ground with these facilities. Sports are vital in our daily lives, they help improve your health, mental health, and is the ideal way to get rid of your stress.
Any donations would be most welcome, our bank details are: Account name: MP Sports Development Trust Sort code: 30-98-56 Account number: 19852860 Cheques are also acceptable.
With such a vast network, sponsorship at MP Sports Cricket Academy is a great way to advertise your products or services to a whole new group of people.
If you are interested in sponsoring us or investing in the cricket academy, or know of a company that may be, please do let us know, we can give you a wide range of options to choose from.
Planting English Willow Trees at the ground
Over the last 5 years we have planted over 150 Salix Alba English Willow trees at the ground. This year we planted another 20 trees, with special thanks to Local MP Freddie Van Mierlo, Local Councillor Pieter-Paul Barker & his wife Liz Barker, Manoj Parmar, his wife, and his boys!
To see the new reel we just uploaded please click the following link:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DItAjbooU1I/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this through – keep an eye out for emails concerning fixtures in the weeks ahead.
We look forward to seeing everyone either at the next fixture or on Friday for training.
Good luck to all the children (and Parents) who are taking SATs this week – we hope they are going well. The finish line is in sight!
Best wishes,
Joe Barnett