Higher level cricket

[cricketmama]

My 15 year old DS has been identified by his club as a rare talent and think he has potential for county level playing. He has done a season of District cricket which is one down from county but it's not been great (elitist, prohibitively expensive & a fairly unpleasant bunch of kids).

His club have suggested we work towards trials this time next year but think they are a bit out of their league (local village club that my ds loves so no chance of moving) as he's only been playing/interested in cricket for 2 years & he needs more technical training, match play and game exposure. The club provide a weekly nets session all year round and summer matches but that's the same for any child and certainly not intensive or specialist.

What on a earth as a parent can I do to help him prepare with zero cricket knowledge, a tiny garden & limited resources? I've heard horror stories about the county selection process of pushy parents and private coaches using all sorts of bizarre psychological techniques to help their chances - certain clothing, repetitive name calling, the boys being totally OTT in their attempts to show team spirit and sportsmanship! Many of the kids he'll be up against are at cricketing schools and will train for hours a week with top coaches. His club are great but just keen cricketers rather than elite coaches.

I just don't feel I'm cut out for this tiger mum stuff but DS is really good and I feel sad that his lack of training and coaching will miss a potentially amazing opportunity.. I don't even know where to start with something like this Anyone?

Is your ds really bothered about playing country cricket, or is he happy playing in the village club and enjoying playing cricket in a happy environment? He can be a good club cricketer without the pressure of the hot housed players

He says he does yes and is aware of what the club have said (as they rather unhelpfully told him before me) and sees a lot of the kids at district cricket and he is clearly as good if not better albeit unpolished than many of them. He says he's prepared to put in the work and has drawn himself up a fitness program for the winter but I'm aware that this is only a small part of it.

Maybe look up some cricket charities?

Have you asked the club what they think you could do?

Nothing you can do will help if the selectors are corrupt and incompetent. However, having said that can you pay for a one to one coach? Maybe just a few sessions? Could his club sponsor him perhaps if not? Time in the nets will help so if he really wants to go for it any time he can get will be useful. Find out if you can what the selection criteria are. Athleticism & coach-ability are often cited round here as is confidence - which does mean speaking up. So he can work on his fitness, he can get time in the nets, he can watch cricket and develop his knowledge of the game, he can work on his confidence and positivity and listening skills. And most of all he needs to believe in himself.

Try and ignore the other parents and focus on what’s achievable for your son. DS plays u15 county cricket and we are not rich or “tiger”. He is a pace bowler so a lot of his preparation in the winter is general fitness and strength and conditioning which is easy to do. His bowling action is pretty much established and to be honest the county coaches don’t like him to bowl full pace too much in training as it puts too much pressure on his back and knee so it’s not like he’s bowling day in day out. The county set up provides him with a couple of hours of batting practice a week in the winter but that’s all. To top this up he is also part of an “elite” training group at a local cricket academy which provides another couple of hours and thankfully doesn’t cost too much. Private coaching is too expensive to do on a regular basis but he had a few sessions when he was just getting serious to establish his bowling and work on some issues with footwork. He does play cricket in school too but to be honest he’s never allowed to bowl full pace in training sessions there either and the nets sessions can be a bit hit and miss as there aren’t that many great bowlers on the school team to challenge him! Perhaps you could investigate local cricket academies and see if you can find a good group for your DS to join? I think, at the age of 15, it is probably quite late in the day to be breaking into the county set up but not unheard of. One of the top batsmen in our county only started when he was in year 6 and he is simply phenomenal - he was subsequently noticed at a district cricket match and went straight into the county team. He was then picked up by a very sport focussed independent school and given a full bursary so now he can practice as much as he likes - so at the end of the day, the cream will always rise to the top and coaches will be falling over themselves to nurture top talent! One other thing I would add is that playing for county can be very stressful and takes a certain type of mental resilience. My DS didn’t always handle it so well and there were times when I felt that he should stop because it was negatively impacting his mental health - the anguish he would be in after a bad match was pretty awful (for all the family). Driving 3 hours each way, sitting through 100 overs, only for DS to be out for a duck is seriously not fun.

If he has a raw talent then it will be picked up at county trials. We went through all this when DS was 12 ish . To be honest he was in a group at the trials with a friend who made it into county but no one could understand how. He only did one season. Over the years I have become a lot more savvy and realised just how much parent power plays a roll in selection for most sports.
We have never “sucked up” to coaches or teaching staff so at least DS knows that he is in teams because of his ability rather than our nagging or influence. Although there are occasions where he would have loved us to moan he is aware how this is viewed amongst his peers.
He missed out on selection for county rugby because the trials were the weekend before the first lockdown. No decisions were made and no rugby was played for nearly two seasons.
With cricket he disliked the group of lads in the club first team, whose parents had decided from early on that they were going to be the first team so even when asked he refused to play. He has continued to play cricket at a level where he enjoys he game and it is his summer social activity. He found a team of mainly young farmers and teenagers ( his tribe) and spends most summers playing competitive village cricket around the Cotswolds.
I think if he had made the county team he would have given up by now as many of his friends who made it have. He also knows that if he plays a higher level of cricket he will spend most of the time standing on the boundary. He prefers to play at a level where he is going to bat and bowl.

If he's really talented and just unpolished, I would have thought this would be picked up at the trials, or even by a scout who visits local clubs.