Whitby Cricket Club launch new Centre of Excellence to find next generation of stars

The 10 weekly sessions, which aim to develop batting, bowling and fielding skills, starting next week, will be available to all boys or girls aged under 15 in the Whitby and Esk Valley area and will be based at Whitby Leisure Centre.

Whitby CC skipper Kai Morris said: “It’s a brilliant concept and with all the young cricketing talent in the Whitby area so it’s nice that that’s going to be recognised and capitalised on.

“It’s something that I would really encourage parents and young cricketers to get involved in and it can only be a good thing for cricket in the area.

“Mike Stones has put together a great coaching team and it’ll definitely benefit the exciting young players we’ve got around here.

“At Whitby Cricket Club we really take pride in our junior section and producing our own players.

“And we’re now reaping the rewards of that as we’re seeing young lads who’ve come through the age groups performing regularly in first and second team cricket in the North Yorkshire and South Durham League.

“It’s something we can’t take afford to take for granted and have to continue to drive forward and I’m sure this will help take that to the next level.

“As a club we seem to bucking the trend at the moment with regards to playing numbers and participation, with having three senior teams and four junior teams so hopefully this centre of excellence that this continues to be the case for plenty of years.

“Also I think it’s worth recognising the fact that the sheer amount of work that Mike and all the other local coaches put in is outstanding and we owe them a great debt of gratitude for all the work they do.”

There will be up to 15 hours of cricket from the week beginning January 9 to March, excluding the half-term week.

The courses will be held on Mondays (4pm-5.30pm), Tuesdays (4.30pm-6pm)and Thursdays (4.30pm-5.30pm) after school.

The Monday and Tuesday courses are aimed at players aged 11 to 15 years who have more experience of the sport, while Thursday’s sessions are aimed at players of a more limited experience of the game, similar to the All Stars or Dynamos coaching courses run by the ECB.

The latter will feature some softball cricket and some hardball play as suitable.

The sessions will included fun games and practices led by qualified cricket coaches led by Mike Stones.

They will focus on the all-round skills development of young cricketers, including nets, indoor matches and game scenarios.

The courses for 11-15-year-olds cost £75 and the younger course £50 with £5 discount for payments in advance of course starting.

For more information about the courses email Mike Stones on [email protected] or Graham Kettle on [email protected]