Many a schoolboy (and schoolgirl) dreams of becoming a professional cricketer, but very few will make the grade. At Hampshire, we are lucky enough to have three young players who were invited to the ECB Skills Camps recently held at Loughborough. Spin bowlers Chris Morgan and Danny Briggs, as well as wicket keeper Michael Bates, all benefited from a week of top class coaching.

When I caught up with Chris Morgan after he came back to Hampshire, I was keen to know what the most useful aspects of the week had been for him. “We were in an environment which was very rich in learning. There were eleven other young spinners aspiring to play First Class Cricket and you absorb information from each other. You have the experience of coaches such as Jack Birkenshaw and John Childs and learning from them was fantastic. What they did really well was put us in different scenarios where we had to manipulate the field, and work out the batsmen, in different match types and situations. The variety of it all was excellent.”

This summer wasn’t Chris’ first visit to Loughborough. As the ECB’s Elite Player Development Manager, John Abrahams, explained to me. “Most players have been part of the Elite Player Development Programme, having been identified by the ECB’s Lead Specialist Coaches to attend the National Skill Set programme during the winter. What they look for are players who demonstrate the appropriate aptitude, athleticism and attitude to play the game at the highest level.”

Having the same young cricketers consistently in the Programme certainly has its benefits. Chris told me there was a real feeling of a spin squad developing, which helped in terms of being sufficiently comfortable to swap ideas and ask questions. The core coaching staff remain the same, but there have also been guest coaches invited along. One year Terry Jenner, Shane Warne’s coach, did a couple of sessions and as a spin bowler, Chris found his input particularly insightful.

I had been tipped off by Loughborough that there was one rather special coach for the batsmen this year, whose name had not been on the press releases issued before the event. Chris was able to tell me more about it.

“Michael Bates was batting when Michael Vaughan walked to the crease. I was on the other team, and we’d just got a wicket so I was walking in to join the huddle, and Batesy said to me ‘Morgs – that’s Michael Vaughan coming in to bat!’ He was really nice. He introduced himself and shook Mike’s hand, and they batted for quite a while and I heard Michael Vaughan giving Batesy quite a few tips at the crease, like if you can’t hit it square, stand up and hit it straight. But we ended up getting Michael Vaughan out quite cheaply.

“We were fortunate enough to have a question and answer session with him afterwards. He was really excellent to talk to. I asked him about what he did to prepare, and what I found particularly interesting was that he talked about an egg timer. He said a lot of people train really intensely before a game, but your mental energy is like an egg timer, and once it’s gone, then you won’t be able to perform. So if you do too much before, you’ll struggle when it actually comes to it. You want to prepare short, sharp, and with quality. I thought that was a really good analogy. He also talked about what he does in Test matches, and how he works with the bowling machines at all different angles and speeds to imitate the bowlers he’ll be facing. He was so open about it all – a really, really nice man.”

Before meeting Chris I had asked coach Jack Birkenshaw for his view on his progress. The report was glowing: ‘Chris has improved since we last saw him at the Loughborough camps and seems to be settling into a consistent action. The ball is spinning more when he bowls and the work he has been doing on his batting could see him as a genuine all rounder. He has the potential to develop into a very talented player.’

In common with many youngsters, Chris started playing cricket because someone else in the family did, in his case, his two much older brothers. “I used to turn up to their games as a seven year old with my whites on and my bag, hoping that someone wouldn’t show. I did once get asked to field for South East Hampshire and I was very chuffed. Then I started to play club cricket for Havant. I still do. Obviously in the league I play for the Hampshire Academy but I play for them in National Cup.”

Having just completed his A-levels, Chris now has fourteen months of playing cricket at Hampshire and in Western Australia to look forward to. It seemed rather superfluous to ask him if his objective is to be a professional cricketer. “Definitely. I’ve always aspired to playing Hampshire cricket. I remember going to the old County Ground when I was about ten, and Giles White was having a net, and then afterwards I was one of the kids who had a go at bowling at the pros. I got his signature, and after my first Second XI game I looked at my signature book and thought ‘Giles White – he’s my coach!’ And there I’d been as a kid, just a few years before, asking for his autograph.

“It’s starting to hit home now that I could become a professional cricketer, something I’ve aspired to my whole life. I’ve looked up to all these people, and now it’s starting to happen around me. Friends of mine like Benny (Howell) and Daws (Liam Dawson) have turned professional and it’s made me believe that I can too if I do well this year.”

Hampshire Academy
Standing (left-right): Michael Bates, Chris Morgan, Chris Wood, James Vince, Danny Briggs, Jake Lilley, Tim Ravenscroft, Benny Howell. Seated: Tom Friend, Liam Dawson, Adam Rouse.

Provide Feedback