Devon Cricket Board - College launches academy

College launches academy

College youngsters with awards handed out at the cricket presentation evening

SOUTH Dartmoor Community College is opening a cricket academy later this year to keep the school at the forefront of the sport.

Private schools tend to dominate cricket as they have the best facilities, best coaches and often the best players thank to scholarship offers.

The Ashburton School has broken the mould both locally and nationally in recent seasons with success after success for their boys’ and girls’ teams.

Last season alone college teams won eight Devon titles, two South West titles and one national championship.

The U15 Girls’ side made up for the disappointment of finishing runners up at Lord’s in the national indoor competition by winning the eight-a-side Chance to Shine outdoor competition in a final played at the Edgbaston Foundation Ground in Birmingham.

All these successes were celebrated at a cricket awards evening hosted at the school.

It was during the evening that Hugh Bellamy, the college principal, announced the creation of an academy.

Bellamy, a cricket lover who has played for Taunton Deane, told students and parents the college had blazed trails before since becoming a pioneering sports college in 1997 and was doing so again.

“We are the strongest State school for hockey, our football academy goes from strength to strength with one of our students captain of England U18 and two years ago we decided to launch a cricket academy,” said Bellamy.

“There are more than 60 outstanding sports people across a range sports at the college and now we plan to add cricket.

“For me as someone passionate about cricket, launching a cricket academy is exciting.

“In a sport dominated by the private sector, we have shown a State school can be successful.”

There will be around 30 places on the cricket academy course, open to players of both sexes.

Students on the course will spend a day a week working on the cricket with additional strength-and-conditioning sessions at other times.

Community cricket coach Scott Chappell, who is based at the college, PE staff and level-four coach Pete Sanderson.

Sanderson works with Somerset CCC as a coach and analyst. Bellamy is glad to have him on board.

“Pete is an outstanding coach of young cricketers and brings huge knowledge and experience to our college,” said Bellamy.

Matches will be part of the course – and the college has arranged a prestige fixture to launch the academy.

The MCC, the oldest name in cricket, will be playing the Academy XI at Bovey Tracey in an all-day game on July 1.

Places remain available on the course and to apply for one contact sdinnie@southdartmoor.devon.sch.uk

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