Depth Of Talent, England need to reorganise Options

[delboy]

One of the reasons that England will never have the depth of talented top players like Australia has is because there is not the setup in England encouraging young players to get involved in the sport.
This is the setup in Australia , from the age of 7 there is a competition run by Milo to introduce boys and girls to the game of cricket then from the age of 9 there is an abundance of avenues to take (1) Junior cricket clubs under the control of Local Associations ( and some of these clubs have up to 3 teams in some age groups) the Association selects players to represent them in inter Association matches at 2 levels, the top group is the DCA competition for all age groups from U10 to U16 and the second group is the IDCA for U11,U13 and U15 and the Presidents Cup for U12,U14 and U16
(in fact until they moved the goalposts a few years ago youngsters could start playing club competition cricket at the age of 5, full size pitch and 142 grams balls)
(2) School cricket, all schools play games between themselves, they also have their own statewide competitions Catholic schools have one, so do private schools and also state schools so there are so many opportunities to play.
(3) On top of this the N.S.W. Cricket Association select teams in all age groups from U11 in what is called the Emerging Blues, players they think have the ability to play for N.S.W. with intensive training
(4) There is also a competition run by the Sydney Grade Clubs for U 16 called the Green Shield so junior cricketers get a chance to play on the top grounds in Sydney
So you can see by the time players reach the end of their junior career the opportunities for good players to improve is tremendous.
When they enter the senior ranks the good players try out for selection with the local grade club who has 5 grade sides and a colts team.
Those that are not good enough for grade can still play Shires Cricket, pub cricket and other levels of cricket.
So you can imagine the number of teams of all age groups playing in Sydney alone each weekend
Now unless the situation has changed in England the setup is nowhere near as good as this ,in fact trawling through the web cricket site I came across this piece of information
“Ninety-three percent of British pupils are state-educated, and yet of those, only 10% are offered regular cricket competition by their schools.
Surely not the way to go let me have your comments please Delboy (Only fools and horses)

[Guest_Thorpey_*]

I do agree partly with the above statements. My best example would be when i played for Elstead under-15s (a village team) and we had some good players in our team....easily comparable to some of my other mates who played at a higher level. However, after the under-15 level, it went sraight up into the adult level....and because i had only played one season (and to be honest played pretty well.....only out once in the season......only batted 4 times!) i didn't get into the adult team. I believe the gap between 15 year olds and adults is far too big, and that the least my club could've done was to have an under-18 team and an under-21 team. Consequently, i haven't played for a club since (the main reason for this being the fact that i had to work all day Saturday) and, although i have had a laugh with one or two of my mates in the nets, it just isn't the same as playing competitively.

It's also a shame that there aren't as many cricket clubs at schools. I am at one of the best colleges in England (in terms of exam pass-rates) and we don't have a cricket pitch within our grounds. This is mainly because in the past 50 years, we have sold off our land to the local council for £$£$£ so that they can build houses. In fact, i'm not even sure that we have a cricket team at all?! (i could be wrong)

However, in England exams start around May and school/college finishes around July. So therefore if the college were to have a cricket club, then it would be outside of the college term, and this would be problematic, especially for people who lived miles off. As the cricket season in England runs from April to September, it would be nearly impossible for the school/college to effectively run a cricket team, especially when exams are (rightly) the priority.

Now i believe that the cricket season in Australia would fall during school/college terms. Therefore it would be a lot easier for these school/colleges to set up cricket teams that meet regularly throughout the year. Whereas in England we don't have this advantage and there is no way that the government will change the education structure just to accommodate the cricket season.

[Shane]

Now i believe that the cricket season in Australia would fall during school/college terms. Therefore it would be a lot easier for these school/colleges to set up cricket teams that meet regularly throughout the year. Whereas in England we don't have this advantage and there is no way that the government will change the education structure just to accommodate the cricket season.

Not entirely correct there matey. Our season basically runs from November to March, so a great part of that period is actually summer holidays...around 8-9 weeks depending on what school you attend and can be as long as 10-12 weeks.

So, schools play a very small part in the dvelopement of the sport as such and here in Victoria almost NO part. It is at local club level where it all begins here in Oz. Just in my immediate area, say a 5 kilometre circle, we would have over 120 teams at different age levels and grades.

It is the easy access to teams here that make the difference and the abundance of facilities. Directly across the road from my place we have at least 5 sets of nets with synthetic turf, 4 cricket clubs and 5 cricket grounds - 6 if you count the high school ground. And I live opposite just a normal park here in Oz. The fact you can get to a park almost anywhere in Oz by walking is the difference between kids playing sport and not playing sport. All the facilities above are PUBLIC facilities provided by the local council.

As a country with lots of open space and emphasis on parks and recreation, kids here can basically choose what sport they like and if they apply themselves enough can get to the top levels very quickly. I know of 12-13 year olds who have already been identified by Cricket Victoria as future prospects and have already secured funding and sponsorship from major cricket suppliers to encourage their development.

[delboy]

.

"So, schools play a very small part in the developement of the sport as such and here in Victoria almost NO part."

Here in N.S.W. Schools also only take a small part but the introduction of Milo Cricket at schools has been well received by the 7 to 8 year olds and could be the catalyst to start the kids interested in Milo at junior club level then onward to competition cricket.
But as my Aussie friend states it is in junior cricket where enthusiasm is channelled into skill and a love of the game.
My grandson when he entered senior cricket at the age of 16 had spent 11 years in competitive junior cricket so he was well used to the rigours of competition.
As Thorpey said the jump for him from junior to senior was too great so by going up each year from 10 to 16 would be a good way for the big chiefs of English cricket to go (IMG:http://abcofcricket.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif) Delboy

[Shane]

.

"So, schools play a very small part in the developement of the sport as such and here in Victoria almost NO part." 

Here in N.S.W. Schools also only take a small part but the introduction of Milo Cricket at schools has been well received by the 7 to 8 year olds and could be the catalyst to start the kids interested in Milo at junior club level then onward to competition cricket.
But as my Aussie friend states it is in junior cricket where enthusiasm is channelled into skill and a love of the game.
My grandson when he entered senior cricket at the age of 16 had spent 11 years in competitive junior cricket so he was well used to the rigours of competition.
As Thorpey said the jump for him from junior to senior was too great so by going up each year from 10 to 16 would be a good way for the big chiefs of English cricket to go (IMG:http://abcofcricket.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif) Delboy

Yes the Milo cricket initiative is making an impact on kids and this is at the school level. When I said schools don't play a big part I meant organised competition wise and or off their own intiiative. The Milo "Have a Go" campaign is an intiative of Cricket Australia who realised their best target audience is kids at school. Almost everyday I receive an advice from CA as to when and where the next Milo clinic will be held. These clinics are held under the guidance of expert coaches and generally at least two top grade cricketers, one male, one female.

The Milo campaign introduces cricket to kids as a fun activity and to date from all reports has enjoyed great success.

We must be careful to apportion credit for the success of this with the right entities...Cricket Australia and Milo. To give credit to the schools would be a little of the mark. Here in Victoria the majority of State schools have actively discouraged the palying of competitive team sports for nearly ten years now. Their philosophy for this is the belief it makes under achievers or those less skilled feel inferior when confronted with team sports. Therefor the schools are encouraging less team sports and more activities that an individual can participate in.

[delboy]

Here in Victoria the majority of State schools have actively discouraged the playing of competitive team sports for nearly ten years now. Their philosophy for this is the belief it makes under achievers or those less skilled feel inferior when confronted with team sports. Therefore the schools are encouraging less team sports and more activities that an individual can participate in.

I feel I must comment here on this philosophy, Maybe at the age of 71 I have some outdated ideas But just one example of where team sports is much more beneficial to those lacking in skills.
For the last couple of seasons one of our local junior cricket teams has had a lad who has spina bifida, he bats last .does not bowl and fields close to the bowler eliminating a lot of running and long throwing but he loves the game and is accepted into the team as just another player. He does the High fives with the team when a wicket is taken and involved with the team and coach during bonding sessions.
First I would like to congratulate him for being brave enough to get involved in a physical sport, secondly to the Association for letting him play and lastly to the team for accepting him as a member of the team knowing he would be a liability (no insult meant) to the teams efforts.
He no way feels inferior as he is part of the TEAM
Now imagine if he chose an individual sport i.e. walking or ???? the individual podium winners would receive the applause and the accolades he would get a sympathetic cheer for finishing nothing else
But when the team wins HE WINS
Call me a silly old barstard if you like but I know what I would rather have a son of mine do if he was unfortunate to be born with a disability DElboy
By the way Admin what is your name/nickname so we can address you with it.

[Shane]

Here in Victoria the majority of State schools have actively discouraged the playing of competitive team sports for nearly ten years now. Their philosophy for this is the belief it makes under achievers or those less skilled feel inferior when confronted with team sports. Therefore the schools are encouraging less team sports and more activities that an individual can participate in.

I feel I must comment here on this philosophy, Maybe at the age of 71 I have some outdated ideas But just one example of where team sports is much more beneficial to those lacking in skills.
For the last couple of seasons one of our local junior cricket teams has had a lad who has spina bifida, he bats last .does not bowl and fields close to the bowler eliminating a lot of running and long throwing but he loves the game and is accepted into the team as just another player. He does the High fives with the team when a wicket is taken and involved with the team and coach during bonding sessions.
First I would like to congratulate him for being brave enough to get involved in a physical sport, secondly to the Association for letting him play and lastly to the team for accepting him as a member of the team knowing he would be a liability (no insult meant) to the teams efforts.
He no way feels inferior as he is part of the TEAM
Now imagine if he chose an individual sport i.e. walking or ????  the individual podium winners would receive the applause and the accolades he would get a sympathetic  cheer for finishing nothing else
But when the team wins HE WINS
Call me a silly old barstard if you like but I know what I would rather have a son of mine do if he was unfortunate to be born with a disability DElboy
By the way Admin what is your name/nickname so we can address you with it.

No argument with what you describe, in fact I totally agree with it. But, you will need to convince the do-gooders here in Vic. They believe when kids cannot compete with the more talented members of a team that it damages them psychologically and is one of the catalysts that leads to porr behaviour in school and later anti social behaviour in the community.

What a crock of shite!

Team activities are the catalyst in building friends, relationships, social acceptance, overcoming disability, enhancing co-operation and potential leadership abilities and bringing together individuals as a group.

How in tarnation can the idiots argue that it damages kids. The positive benefits of team sports far outweigh the perception by university trained ding bats that competition is bad.

And they wonder why our kids are suffering anti social traits and obesity. It's not the PlayStations making our kids fat, it's the dills who have taken all the physical activity out of our schools.

Admin or shane, just don't call me late for dinner!