CricketYou wake up at around 11 a.m, brain pounding, stomach churning and vague recollections of coloured lights and loud music still flashing in and out of your head.
You drag yourself out of bed, swill two Solpadeine in a glass of water, grab a cheese roll and a paper from Spar and make your way reluctantly to the ground in time for a slow lap, brief stretch and a leisurely read of the sports pages before the captains get together for the toss.
That is many cricketers' idea of good match preparation. But it seems that this tried and trusted method is being questioned in some quarters within Leinster cricket, and a new initiative has been set up to make sure that the young talent in the province get a more holistic view of how to conduct oneself on and off the pitch.
The LCU Cricket Academy - sponsored by the English Language Institute - gets under way today with 13 bright stars of the future selected for what is sure to be a hugely exciting and rewarding summer of cricket immersion.
The top names in all areas of the game in Leinster have been assembled to contribute to a course that not only will improve the 15 to 17-year-olds as cricketers, but also will teach them about personal development, coaching, diet - and an alternative match preparation to the Solpadeine-and-sandwich method.
Over the 10 sessions between today and July 29th, the players will undergo intensive coaching from top players including Trent Johnston, Jeremy Bray, Shahid Iqbal and Chris Torissi, as well as national coach Adrian Birrell.
Former Ireland captain Alan Lewis will give a talk on what it takes to become an international cricketer, and the players will have the benefit of video analysis to see for themselves where they can improve their technique.
Justin Vanstone, the coach of Blackrock College's JCT rugby squad, has agreed to take the lads for gym, fitness and flexibility sessions, while the National Aquatic Centre in Abbotstown has been booked for some lane swimming training.
They will also learn a bit about groundsmanship, umpiring, choosing the equipment and coaching.
Academy director Brían O'Rourke has worked on similar projects in South Africa and with the ICC in Spain and is confident that initiatives like this can make a big difference in the development of players.
"We want these players practising together at a higher level than they are used to and pushing themselves to improve. We will show them how to fit cricket around their lives. It is a great opportunity for them," he said.
The course, which thanks to the sponsorship and the generosity of Phoenix CC and other clubs, is free to the players, and begins with player interviews and a rigorous net session. Tomorrow, the participants will be taken on a day trip to Stormont to watch Ireland take on the West Indies.
They might just learn a thing or two up there as well.
LCU ACADEMY: Rory Allwright (Merrion), Daniel Campion (Merrion), Alan Caren (Rush), Eoghan Delaney (Clontarf), Ciaran Garry (North County), Conor Geraghty (Malahide), Ross Johnson (YMCA), Manu Kumar (Phoenix), Theo Lawson (Clontarf), Fintan McAllister (Rush), Niall McDarby (CYM), Kyle Tonetti (Merrion), Stephen Walsh (YMCA).
Just a quick one for all you statisticians of the game. YMCA II played Pembroke II in a Tillain Cup match last week, and two players, one from either side, scored unbeaten centuries (Dave Woolston for Pembroke and James Fitzgerald for YM). Afterwards, in the Ganly Bar at Sydney Parade, no one could remember an occasion when two tons had been scored in a 20-overs match, at any level. Has it happened before?
Please reply to the email address below with that or, indeed, any other unusual cricket events that have occurred this season that you feel deserve a mention in this column.
jwfitzgerald@eircom.net
