Report on Essex Cricket training session – 28/02/14
On the afternoon of Friday 28th February, we were delighted and privileged to welcome to the school a three-man coaching team from Essex Cricket who came to lead a training session with 20 students drawn from Years 4 to 11. The Essex Cricket coaches, who do a lot of work with schools and communities in England, had come to Murcia to attend the Cricket España conference taking place in La Manga over the weekend but were also very keen to use the opportunity to offer some of their time and expertise to a local school.
In the short space of two hours, they expertly engaged the students in a carousel of entertaining and challenging cricket activities aimed at developing and sharpening their abilities in all areas of the game. These included: improving accuracy in both throwing and bowling by having a series of increasingly narrower targets to hit; catching activities to sharpen reflexes and batting activities designed to encourage correct foot-positioning, technique and knowledge of fielding positions by nominating targets to aim for.
The afternoon’s activities culminated in a mini competition between four groups of students with two semi-finals being played before a final and a play-off for third and fourth places.
In a plenary session, all students were congratulated by the coaches on their enthusiasm, participation and ability. Everyone received mementoes of the day and four students (Ana J., Alfonso H., Charlie R. and Álvaro V.) were also rewarded with an Essex Cricket t-shirt for showing particular improvement and promise during the session. Finally, Mr Rumistrzewicz, as head of the school, was also presented with an Essex Cricket shirt signed by the county team players.
In addition to the coaches, several other cricket conference participants attended the training session and either observed or lent a hand. These included: Ben Cajee, the Regional Development Officer for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Neil Brook and John Howden of Cricket España, and Scott Burchell, a cricketing coach at Levante CC.
It was a fantastic afternoon which the students and staff involved thoroughly enjoyed. Our visitors were very complimentary about the enthusiasm and skills which our students showed and we are looking forward to working closely with Essex Cricket to develop links with schools in the UK.
With more students now involved in cricket activities both within the school timetable as well as outside it, we are also working increasingly closely with Cricket España to play more cricket and develop the students’ abilities, thereby offering them opportunities to go forward and play at higher levels.
Martin Harbour.
