da leao： If they were right when they said the Battle of Waterloo was won on theplaying fields of Eton, then why should the battle to regain the Ashes notstart at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst
da heads bet： Ralph Dellor15-Oct-2001
Mark Wagh: It’s a
superb opportunity
Photo © CricInfo
If they were right when they said the Battle of Waterloo was won on theplaying fields of Eton, then why should the battle to regain the Ashes notstart at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst?That was where the first intake to the new England and Wales Cricket Board’sNational Academy gathered with the coaching staff specially appointed toattend to their needs. This was before setting off to Adelaide for a winterof preparation and playing to ensure that England will be able to competewith Australia and everyone else within the next five years or so. Theypatently failed to do so in the 2001 Ashes series.Of course, there were hopes that there would be bricks and mortar in placefor the academy to be based in England from the outset. However, planningproblems at the first choice of venue – Bisham Abbey near Marlow on thebanks of the Thames – proved insurmountable in time, and so, like migratingbirds, the bright young hopes of English cricket are heading south for thewinter.It makes a lot of sense. There are far more opportunities to get meaningfulcricket preparation completed in Adelaide in January than in Buckinghamshireat the same time of year. And anyway, the newly appointed head coach, RodMarsh, knows a thing or two about the conditions and facilities available inAdelaide, having been based there in a similar position with themuch-vaunted Australian Academy for the past 11 years.He is looking forward to a new challenge. Speaking at Sandhurst, he said,”I’ve been very privileged to have had 11 years with the academy inAustralia and I feel very privileged to be given the opportunity to startthis one. It’s a real challenge, one I’m looking forward to and one I’llgive my heart and soul to.”This is a different Rod Marsh to the typical Australian wicket-keeper whogave opponents such a torrid time in his playing days. “When you’re out ofthe game, winning doesn’t seem nearly as important as it once did. It nowseems more important that the game develops and goes forward.”Supported by assistant coach John Abrahams and manager Nigel Laughton, aswell as a team of physiotherapists, physiologists and visiting coaches,there is no doubt that this will be a well-prepared body of men, as befitsany team coming out of Sandhurst.It is certainly something to which the ECB Performance Director, HughMorris, attaches a great deal of importance. “It’s taken a long time to getthis off the blocks, but now I think we have a very robust programme, sometalented cricketers and I think we’ve got a fantastic coaching staff. I’mvery excited about the future.”It is a future in which Morris wants to see the products of the academyquickly come into the reckoning for England places. “What we’re looking todo is produce 95% of the academy players in the England team by 2007. It’shugely ambitious, but it’s something we want to try to aim for. This is thepinnacle of our development programme, so it is a key plank in our strategyif we are to achieve our goals.”The chairman of the ECB, Lord MacLaurin, has no doubts about the prospects.”We’ve got a nucleus here of some quite outstanding young cricketers and ifhalf of them go on to play for England, it will be great. Rod Marsh hasproduced a whole string of really excellent cricketers from the AustralianAcademy – probably some of the best players we’ve seen in the past decade,and to have him running our academy is amazing.”The players, too, are excited at the prospect of joining the new venture.For some like Lancashire leg-spinner Chris Schofield, it is a chance to getback into the top flight of the English game after experiencing Test cricketvery early in his career.”Unfortunately I did not progress as I would have liked to have done afterplaying two Test matches. But this has shown that England are stillinterested in my art. Hopefully I can develop it to the full and become aregular Test player in the next year or so.”I can only think it’s going to be fantastic for me to develop leg-spin asI work out over this winter – working on fitness, mental fitness, smoothingout my action, working on my batting.”Northamptonshire off-spinning all-rounder Graeme Swann has also been closeto the top. Fast-tracked from the Under 19s through the A team and into afull Test touring party, he also sees the academy as another chance. “I feelI did not accelerate as quickly as I might have done after my first coupleof seasons and that’s what I’m looking forward to doing now. I think Iplateaued after the early burst but I feel ready now to really kick on andgo to the next step.”I’m going to treat it like a finishing school. I’m going to lap up all thecoaching I get out there, all the way of life, fitness and everything. Iwant to develop as a cricketer and come back hoping for Test cricket.”Mark Waugh, the Warwickshire opening batsman who scored a triple century ina CricInfo Championship match at Lord’s last season, began his first-classcareer with Oxford University and has already experienced life in theZimbabwe Academy. He views this new venture with great excitement.”It’s a huge honour and to be one of the first guys to go out with Rod Marshto Adelaide is one of the best things to have happened to me in my cricketcareer. It’s a superb opportunity. Ultimately, the bottom line is to returnin March a better player than I am now. It will be a huge learningexperience and hopefully it will be something I’ll look back on with pride.”Everyone concerned with this ambitious project will be subscribing to thosesame sentiments. If everyone can look back on it with pride, it will bebecause it has been successful. England will have produced a crop of youngplayers to match the best in the world. With just a little bit of help fromAustralia.
