ECC goes large. . . in La Manga
After the successful running of this year's Cricket Centre of Excellence and European Cricket Academy at the La Manga Club, ambitious plans are afoot for the creation of a European Cricket Centre at the Spanish sporting resort.
Commenting on the success of this year's events, ICC European Regional Development Manager Richard Holdsworth was full of praise for the facilities already present at La Manga.
'The opportunity for the boys to work outside is in itself a huge advantage,' he says. 'The facilities we've used until now at Bradfield College for the centre of excellence are excellent, but the English weather in April has meant that we've had very few opportunities to participate in outdoor practice over the last few years.
'At La Manga both the Academy and the Centre of Excellence were based outside, and we were able to take advantage of a purpose-designed facility in a Mediterranean climate. We had no more than two hours' rain in two and a half weeks.'
A further point in favour of the Spanish site, Holdsworth adds, is that it moves the events away from England, into one of cricket's developing nations. This can only be good for the future of European cricket.
The future plan is to hopefully develop turf wickets for both matches and practice, in addition to the existing artificial surfaces. A turf management consultant has been brought in to advise on the possible creation of the new facilities, and the hope is that they may be ready for next year's spring schools.
The development will also make it possible to hold European tournaments at La Manga, adding another country to the rota. It is possible to play cricket in southern Spain from February to November, so that the new Centre will extend the European season by several months. It could also be available to European national sides preparing for major tournaments.`
Both Holdsworth and Regional Development Officer Philip Hudson, who managed both the Academy and the Centre of Excellence, are very positive about this year's programme.
'Standards are improving every year,' says Holdsworth, 'thanks to the work which is being done in the countries themselves. At this year's academy and centre of excellence we could see the effect of players' experience in the Under-19 World Cup, where Ireland and Scotland both took part, and the recent visit of Dutch and Belgian teams to Mumbai.'
Hudson reinforces the point.
'Both the older boys in the Academy and the younger lads at the Centre of Excellence are making huge progress,' he says. 'And the achievements of the graduates of previous years, such as Scotland's Gary Kidd and The Netherlands' Alexei Kervezee, show what can be achieved. It gives the current crop of players a target to aim at.'
An immediate target this year was selection in the squad for a series of matches against England Under-17 and a Warwickshire Under-19 side at Loughborough at the end of June. The squad is expected to be announced next week.
Participants in the Academy benefit from specialist coaching in batting, seam bowling and spin, as well as more general programmes in fitness.
'Using La Manga,' Hudson points out, 'we've been able to introduce cool-down sessions in the pool. And every player was required to take a fitness test, the results of which will be included in the final report which we send to the player himself and to his governing body.
'These reports will identify personal goals, and assist the coaches back in the home country in their further work with the player.'
The availability of two grounds and four nets makes room for a varied programme, extending from one-to-one sessions with coaches to match situations, and the coaches, including the ECB Elite Coach Development Manager Gordon Lord, seam specialist Kevin Innes, and spin coach Chris Ellison, make extensive use of video analysis in helping players to identify their weaknesses and work on resolving them.
The programme begins with the 13-17 age group who take part in the Centre of Excellence. A feature of this event, which took place this year on 11-14 April, is the presence of country leaders as well as promising young players from the participating countries. 22 players from fifteen countries, twelve of whom also sent a leader, took part this year.
'The emphasis here is on identifying areas for future work,' Hudson says, 'and it's important that the coaches from the players' own countries are able to take part in this process, including the final individual discussion where the agenda for further work is set.'
The leaders, who were required to hold an ECB Level I-Europe coaching award, participated in group work and one-to-one sessions with the players, under the guidance of the ECC's staff coaches, all of whom are Level 3 qualified.
'The intention is that the Centre of Excellence experience should feed back into the coaching programmes at country level,' says Holdsworth. 'It's focussed on the development of European coaching as much as on the players' particular skills.'
And the indication is that it's working: although the range of skill and experience among the younger age-group is wide, the coaches are delighted to see that the gap is closing. With the plans for the European Cricket Centre well in hand, it seems certain that the rise in standards can only continue.
