	The Door Opens Both Ways
	I don’t know about you but I am beginning to despair of children and teenagers today. Every time I switch on the television or open a newspaper it seems to be full of stories of some poor soul having been stabbed by a knife-wielding thug or being beaten to death for daring to talk back to a gang of youths. It is getting so bad that when I have to pass a group of two or three teenagers in the street, particularly in an isolated area, I get anxious in case they start messing about. I put this down to the accumulated effect of these media reports and the fact that I am getting older and I am not as agile as I used to be. We are often told that the vast majority of the younger generation are lazy couch potatoes who spend their time in front of computers and games consoles getting more and more obese and storing up problems for themselves in the future. I suppose that these stories are given such prominence because they are considered by the media to be ‘news’, and so all the youth of this country are painted with the same brush. But let’s try opening this door the other way and looking at the other side. The Parochial Church Council of Norbury Church are the Trustees for the playing fields off Chester Road, which are used by Norbury Cricket, Lacrosse and Bowling Clubs. The Cricket Club has been in existence for over a hundred years and is managed on a purely voluntary basis by a group of dedicated people who have the best interest of the game and the welfare of children of all ages at heart. Their junior section comprises an under-18s team as well as under-15s and under-11s. Alongside this they organise practise sessions for under-10s with children as young as four taking part. In total there is a membership in excess of 50 juniors in the club.	The Lacrosse Club, whilst not as old as the Cricket Club nevertheless has a record to be proud of. With a similar junior section they run under-16s together with under-14s and under-12s teams. There are plans being made to form an under-19s team also. Again, like the cricket club, there is an under-10s practise sessions. They are fortunate in having the services of a full-time lacrosse coach who works in several local schools. This year the club has had a player selected for England under-19s, who took part in the world cup held recently in Canada, another was selected to join the England development squad and yet another player is going to Finland to compete in the European Championships for Wales. Four of the juniors were selected for the Cheshire under- 16s, and 7 other juniors (aged 12 to 15) have just returned from America having been selected for the Stockport Metros touring team. Whilst the Bowling Club is not as active as the above, as it is more of a social club, they have had a team playing in the Alderley League for some years. Last year the team lost only one home game and ended the season a respectable 5th in the league. At the time of writing they have not lost a single home game. There is an age range from 14 years to over 90. The junior members have acquitted themselves well, both in League games and area competitions. While the Bowling Club maintain their green and grounds, the members of the Cricket and Lacrosse clubs do a magnificent job of maintaining the rest of the six acres of the playing fields. When not in use by the clubs the playing fields are in constant use by ad-hoc teams of local teenagers playing cricket, football or for general recreation. The partnership between Norbury Church via the PCC and the Norbury Amalgamated Sports Clubs has been, very quietly, achieving these results for many years without any of the publicity which is given to the hooligan element in our society. I hope this little piece will go some way to allowing readers to see what is on the other side of the door. Norman Allen
	Norbury Parish Church, Hazel Grove, Stockport, Cheshire. Telephone: 0161-483 6325

The Door Opens Both Ways

I don’t know about you but I am beginning to despair of children and teenagers today. Every time I switch on the television or open a newspaper it seems to be full of stories of some poor soul having been stabbed by a knife-wielding thug or being beaten to death for daring to talk back to a gang of youths.

It is getting so bad that when I have to pass a group of two or three teenagers in the street, particularly in an isolated area, I get anxious in case they start messing about. I put this down to the accumulated effect of these media reports and the fact that I am getting older and I am not as agile as I used to be.

We are often told that the vast majority of the younger generation are lazy couch potatoes who spend their time in front of computers and games consoles getting more and more obese and storing up problems for themselves in the future.

I suppose that these stories are given such prominence because they are considered by the media to be ‘news’, and so all the youth of this country are painted with the same brush.

But let’s try opening this door the other way and looking at the other side.

The Parochial Church Council of Norbury Church are the Trustees for the playing fields off Chester Road, which are used by Norbury Cricket, Lacrosse and Bowling Clubs.

The Cricket Club has been in existence for over a hundred years and is managed on a purely voluntary basis by a group of dedicated people who have the best interest of the game and the welfare of children of all ages at heart.

Their junior section comprises an under-18s team as well as under-15s and under-11s. Alongside this they organise practise sessions for under-10s with children as young as four taking part. In total there is a membership in excess of 50 juniors in the club.

The Lacrosse Club, whilst not as old as the Cricket Club nevertheless has a record to be proud of. With a similar junior section they run under-16s together with under-14s and under-12s teams. There are plans being made to form an under-19s team also. Again, like the cricket club, there is an under-10s practise sessions. They are fortunate in having the services of a full-time lacrosse coach who works in several local schools.

This year the club has had a player selected for England under-19s, who took part in the world cup held recently in Canada, another was selected to join the England development squad and yet another player is going to Finland to compete in the European Championships for Wales.

Four of the juniors were selected for the Cheshire under- 16s, and 7 other juniors (aged 12 to 15) have just returned from America having been selected for the Stockport Metros touring team.

Whilst the Bowling Club is not as active as the above, as it is more of a social club, they have had a team playing in the Alderley League for some years. Last year the team lost only one home game and ended the season a respectable 5th in the league. At the time of writing they have not lost a single home game. There is an age range from 14 years to over 90. The junior members have acquitted themselves well, both in League games and area competitions.

While the Bowling Club maintain their green and grounds, the members of the Cricket and Lacrosse clubs do a magnificent job of maintaining the rest of the six acres of the playing fields. When not in use by the clubs the playing fields are in constant use by ad-hoc teams of local teenagers playing cricket, football or for general recreation.

The partnership between Norbury Church via the PCC and the Norbury Amalgamated Sports Clubs has been, very quietly, achieving these results for many years without any of the publicity which is given to the hooligan element in our society. I hope this little piece will go some way to allowing readers to see what is on the other side of the door.

Norman Allen

The Door Opens Both Ways

Norbury Parish Church, Hazel Grove, Stockport, Cheshire. Telephone: 0161-483 6325