"Hi Peter - I just wanted to thank you for organising an excellent summer of cricket for the boys."

Jane Beeston

Ealing CC Academy - An Overview

The Ealing CC Academy was created in 2003 with the intention of identifying the best young players at the club aged 19 and below and providing them with high-quality intensive weekly training away from their age groups.

The Academy begin in the last week of March and train twice weekly until the middle of September when they will have competed against some top representative sides including Barmy Army Colts, Middlesex U16's and several touring sides from the cricketing world. 2006 saw a unique honour for the Ealing CC Academy when they were awarded a fixture against the MCC becoming the first club academy in the UK to play against the most famous cricket club in the world.

The Ealing CC Academy intake numbering up to 40 boys is reviewed each year and those players selected must show continued improvement throughout the season to remain part of the squad. The Academy places a great emphasis on fitness and agility with physical training at least once a week before or after cricket-specific sessions. One of its great strengths is to take young players out of their Colts age group and get them training with and against players of greater ability and experience. The key aim of this is to accelerate the development of talented young cricketers, allowing them to achieve and even exceed their own expectations.

The objectives of the Ealing CC Academy are stated below:

  1. Identify the best young players at Ealing CC.
  2. Introduce them to an extremely high quality of training in the company of their peers.
  3. Allow younger players the chance to play longer games of cricket instead of just 20 over matches.
  4. Create a closer link between Ealing CC's junior and senior section to ensure our best young players make the transition into adult cricket.
  5. For those exceptionally talented players, increase the chances of them attaining representative and county selection.
  6. Develop a culture of self-reliance amongst Academy players and a recognition of what is required to become a successful cricketer in the 21st century, with a particular emphasis on preparation.

Peter Wellings
Ealing CC Academy Head Coach