How did you get involved in cricket initially?
My old man took me to lots of sports when I was young and basically kept taking me back to the ones I didn’t complain about…clearly cricket made the cut! I enjoyed cricket from the very start and when I was introduced to playing it properly at school I was completely hooked. I remember training for cricket on a Friday night and then playing matches every weekend.
Why did you enjoy cricket so much?
There are a few reasons really, but I think I was drawn to it initially because I’ve always enjoyed competitive sports and then I think I grew to love it so much because it’s a sport played with your mates. If your mates play at the same club as you or in the same team, it feels natural really, it’s just fun.
Why do you think club cricket so important?
Club cricket is where people get exposed as a junior to adult cricket. It’s often the very heartbeat of some clubs. At its most raw form it’s sport, which offers so much to everyone participating in it. Team sports are beneficial in multiple ways, such as learning how to be a team player, not being selfish, mucking in, getting on with different people from a variety of backgrounds. Club cricket brings together people from all walks of life and in many ways it replicates society itself.
What made you want to be a part of Club Cricket Academy?
I think Club Cricket Academy is creating something unique that we haven’t seen a lot of in Essex. We have made an environment where kids can not only come and enjoy themselves, but they also have the opportunity to improve and get exposed to some great coaches and cricketers.
What do you enjoy most about coaching?
Because we offer so many courses, I get different things out of each one. For example, in the larger courses with more kids, although the learning is important and that is always on our minds, seeing the kids enjoy themselves for the full hour is what I find most pleasing. On the other hand, the one-to-ones are more skills based with a focus on working on your game. Seeing that improvement and watching the kids see their own improvement is what I enjoy most.
How does club cricket academy benefit the local community?
As we are all aware, the ECB have been trying to create new pathways for participation in cricket and I see Club Cricket Academy as helping that same agenda. We are creating a place where people can come and play cricket at really affordable rates.
In particular, cricket is making huge progress in its inclusivity, as we’ve seen in The Hundred. At Club Cricket Academy we take both the female and male sides as seriously as each other and we are hoping to get some of the Sunrisers down to show that there is a path in cricket for female cricketers, which is something many girls may not have considered before.
How would Club Cricket Academy have benefited you as a young cricketer?
It would have been huge. When I got to that stage where I wanted get better and really take cricket seriously it was difficult for me to find a coach, simply because the hours weren’t available or they were unable to fit me in. What we are providing in Club Cricket Academy is a place where there are a lot more hours and high quality coaches available, as well as exposure to professionals that have made their way through the game, which I think is pretty unheard of on a consistent basis.