England Cricket 2023

McBobbin said:

Addick Addict said:

McBobbin said:

Addick Addict said:

Addick Addict said:

Rothko said:

No surprise really, cricket has completely ignored state schools for years, and then shock horror, kids from state schools aren't interested when cricket comes to the school. 

Counties and clubs have been quite happy milking the line of nice mainly white kids from public/grammar schools to produce mediocre players in the main, and not take the risk elsewhere. 

I've been saying this for a decade on here. There are more kids now coming from the ethnic minorities now but they still do tend to be the ones that attend those private schools. When I've pointed out how many of our England squad have come from those schools, the argument has been that a lot of them didn't start there and received scholarships - but that is rather missing the point. That is the pathway whether the parents have money or not because the coaches at those school have a direct in to the county pathway and they have the best coaches and facilities too. How many have been missed that weren't offered a scholarship? In Seb's first four years at Kent he was one of only four non privately educated boys (albeit went to a grammar school that played cricket) in the 15 man county age group squad and they did not have a single lad of asian or black heritage. 

@oohaahmortimer is so right about the cost too. In addition to the cost of kit, parents of kids at Kent actually have to pay for the privilege of trialling. If they make the squad then parents have to pay for the coaching that they get during the course of winter/summer at the County and they have to pay for their playing gear too. Imagine having to do that at a pro football club! So, the question is this - does the ECB actually earmark money that goes to the counties specifically for this and if so what happens to it? If it does I'm not sure that it has ever been passed on in its totality to the parents. If at all. This has been picked up in the report with the appropriate recommendations:

1.5.24 We strongly believe that participation in the talent pathway should be made entirely free of direct costs, so that as of the 2024-25 pathway no player trialling for or participating in the talent pathway needs to pay to participate. 

This will also serve to level the playing field:

1.5.25 We believe that selection for representative, inter-County cricket should begin at the Under 14 level and not before. This recommendation will mean that the widely documented challenges associated with talent ID in younger children are removed for the first three years of a typical pathway programme. Placing less emphasis on selection and deselection from Under 10 age groups onwards mitigates the very significant structural advantages that private school children have over their state school counterparts. Coaches, children and parents will be relieved of the pressures and liabilities associated with the current system. Importantly, indirect costs such as travel and parental time will be further reduced, enabling more children to play a high standard of cricket locally, lowering the barriers to participation.

It's not just a question of opportunity. It's about affordability too and the ability to make those that don't come from a privileged background part of the group and for them to feel accepted in that environment. 

I have just taken a look at Sussex home grown products - Garton, Carson, Haines, Foreman, Ibrahim (Hurstpierpont), Atkins, Carter (Eastbourne), Clark (Ardingly), Coles (Magdalen), Rawlins, Crocombe, Hudson-Prentice, Orr, Lenham (Bede's), Currie (Millfield), Tear (Seaford) and Ward (St Edward's)

That's 17/17 privately educated. All the other 12 in their 29 man squad are either overseas or signed from another county. So not one of their home grown talent graduated from a State School. 

One of Seb's good friends who he has spent the last two winters in Australia with went to a State school. He was offered a scholarship (not a full one) but as his father was reliant on overtime to pay the bills they did not feel that they could commit to going to the private school in question. The boy was dropped from the county system that year. The head coach of that boy's county age group was also the head of cricket at that private school and the one that offered him a scholarship. Out of sight, out of mind. In an extremely competitive market, county products increase value of private school. State pupils do not.  

did a similar review for Essex, insofar as cricinfo has that information. seems a lot more mixed in terms of people from comprehensive secondary school, and quite  a few asian cricketers. I also know that Essex has been fined and reviewed for racism as well as the corruption/Danish Kaneria scandal a few years ago, so hardly a beacon of virtue.

The Asian community is a thriving one for cricket in Essex and Middlesex and that usually stems from the father's love of the game. I have been at indoor nets with Seb in the winter and virtually every other net is filled with those from an ethnic background. That is the pool that counties need to tap into. 

I've seen quite a lot of all-asian games in Chelmsford and Fairlop (near the inlaws) and now see that there is a "south asian cricket academy" that works with Essex CCC. Any pool of talent that is passionate about cricket needs tapping into, and I hope Essex have got their act together in terms of integration, for want of a better word.