Photo Credit: Cricket Ireland
DUBLIN – The COVID-19 pandemic may be causing a major disruption to the way we all live, work and play, however, the coaching staff of the Shapoorji Pallonji Cricket Ireland Academy were determined to keep in touch with the squad and to continue working on various aspects of the Academy players development – across three countries.
The Academy, established in 2013, continues to be instrumental in producing Irish cricket talent – both male and female. The programme aims to identify and support the most promising young players in the country and provide them with a bespoke player development programme under the ethos of supporting them to be ‘the best version of themselves in life and cricket’.
Despite being located in Ireland, India and England, this week the male Academy squads met online for some virtual learning.
Pete Johnston, Cricket Ireland’s Academy and Performance Manager since 2017, said:
“The Academy is a year-round programme, where we not only aim to develop the specific cricketing skills and techniques of the players, but to develop their mental and physical health, as well as building resilience to cope with challenging situations.”
“Given that we couldn’t meet physically to train or undertake fitness work, we have gone to work developing an online programme that we can deliver over video conferencing. We had 18 of the 19 players in attendance for our first week, all on video which was brilliant.”
“During our first weekly meeting we had a session with Anne Marie Kennedy, our consultant psychologist, that looked at tips to keep positive, motivated and focussed during this emergency period. The squad also heard from our Strength and Conditioning Coach, Performance Analyst and even participated in a cricket-themed group quiz to inject a bit of fun.”
“Ryan Eagleson [Academy Coach], Albert Van De Merwe [National Talent Pathway Manager] and I also encouraged learning and development on the skills side of things with some pointers, while Jay Shelat [Performance Analyst] has also provided links to some great resources around tactical and technical awareness – from his parent’s house in India.”
“The key message for the lads was to ‘Stay Ready’ for when the season does eventually start – to use this time to prepare and reflect on their game, their health and fitness.”
“In the first week, each player has been challenged to begin to keep a journal to track their mental and physical health, along with their individual skill development and fitness work. They were additionally challenged to use some creativity on practising and sharing videos of drills from their home environment with the group. That sharing within the group is proving particularly engaging, with plenty of good ingenuity on display. Greg Hollins [Strength & Conditioning Coach] has also implemented some fitness challenges to keep that competitive edge going, and we will even be tapping into Albert’s umpiring experience to challenge the players on the laws of the game.“
“This was the first of many sessions we expect to be running during this period, and so far the lads have responded very well to being provided some structure and goals during what is a challenging time for all. I firmly believe our players can come through this period with gains, increasing their self-resilience and self-discovery along the way. The everyday home environment has helped shaped many a world-class player in the past, and this group are already beginning to use their limited resources to the maximum which is exciting to see.”
“It’s also reassuring that we have the backing of a great partner in Shapoorji Pallonji who help make the Academy possible through their long-term sponsorship.”
The 2020 Academy Squads
The Academy’s male programme is split into two squads – an Emerging Academy squad and a Senior Academy squad. The average age of Academy participants tends to be around 18 years of age, and the youngest players can start at 15 years of age, however, there is no specific age limit on players benefitting from the ‘finishing school’.
Senior Academy Squad: JJ Garth (Pembroke CC), Fionn Hand (YMCA), Neil Rock (Rush CC), Nathan McGuire (Rush CC), Mitchell Thompson (YMCA), Graham Kennedy (Ballyspallan CC), Will Smale, Ross Allen (Brigade CC), Conor Olphert (Bready CC), Mike Frost (Malahide CC).
Emerging Academy Squad: Tim Tector (YMCA), Jamie Forbes (YMCA), Seamus Lynch (Terenure CC), Jamie MacNulty (Merrion CC), Theo Dempsey (Phoenix CC), Oliver Metcalfe (Instonians CC), James Hunter (Instonians CC), Kyle Magee (Brigade CC), Zubair Hassan Khan (Cork Harlequins CC).
Name of Author: Cricket Ireland
Cricket Ireland, officially known as The Irish Cricket Union Company Limited by Guarantee, is the governing body for cricket on the island of Ireland. It oversees the national men’s and women’s teams and organizes the Inter-Provincial Series, Super 3s, and All-Ireland club competitions. Ireland achieved Test status for women in 2000 and for men in 2017 when it became a Full Member of the ICC.
