ALTHOUGH the Limestone Coast is still in the midst of winter sport, young cricketers have already started to prepare for the upcoming summer after the Chappell Whitty Academy kicked off on Sunday.
The opening session was a trial to select the pre-season program’s 12-person squad and more than 30 promising Under 16 and 14 players participated at the Frew Park nets.
New Chappell Whitty Academy coordinator Jonathan Allcock has selected the squad and was pleased with the amount of youngsters keen to learn.
“There was loads of interest in both age groups,” he said.
“Probably 16 kids tried out in each age bracket and a couple even travelled from Kingston and Bordertown.
“It was great to see families show so much commitment and interest this early in the season.”
A place in the academy gives juniors the perfect preparation for the 2020-21 summer of cricket and increases the chance of higher honours down the track.
The selected players will receive one coaching session at the nets for the next 12 weeks before playing a couple of district cricket games in Adelaide for Glenelg throughout the season.
Allcock said the aim of the program is to help country kids develop their skills at a similar rate to the city players who receive more opportunities.
“Through the support of the Glenelg Cricket Club we hope to help talented regional cricketers get the best out of themselves,” he said.
“We provide lots of coaching, so hopefully they still get the same amount of improvement as a city kid without having to travel every week.”
The weekly net sessions will comprehensively cover all aspects of the game technically and mentally.
Batsmen will be taught strategies to play spin, pace, seam and swing, while bowlers will work on controlling those skills.
The program also analyses the mental side of the game.
Despite the vast amount of coaching, Allcock said there is a high emphasis on each player’s problem solving skills.
“The idea of the program is lots of evaluation, but it is player driven,” he said.
“I hope the environment we create means they are independent enough to evaluate their own mental, physical and technical performance and make adjustments themselves.”
Although COVID-19 has interrupted all sports with no scheduled cricket matches on the horizon at this stage, Allcock’s only concern is making sure the players gain the most out of the program to grow their game.
“The main concern for me is making sure the kids get value out of the sessions,” he said.
“Hopefully it helps them develop as a cricketer and a sportsman.”
