Dawson helps Young Lions prepare for winter
23 November 2016
Richard Dawson, Graham Onions and James Tredwell joined the list of England players offering their expertise to this winter’s Young Lions programme at a training camp at the Performance Centre this weekend.
Dawson & Tredwell have been focusing on the spinners in the absence of Peter Such, the ECB lead spin bowling coach who is already in Dubai with the Lions squad.
Onions added to a strong Durham representation, as his county captain Paul Collingwood has been working with the Young Lions all autumn – and will be travelling to Dubai as a member of their coaching staff, alongside Neil Killeen, the former Durham seamer who has been a regular coach on the ECB International Pathway for several years. This winter he will be working specifically with a group of fast bowlers including Josh Coughlin.
Dawson said “I really enjoyed my 3 days in Loughborough having been invited to help the spin bowlers ahead of their forthcoming trip to Dubai”
"I found the time spent working in a different environment with the likes of Paul Collingwood and the other ECB coaches hugely rewarding."
“There were plenty of good ideas discussed which we can put in to practice at The Brightside Ground”
There was also a strong Sussex flavour to the Young Lions set-up. In addition to allrounder Delray Rawlins and Lewis, who will be the fast-bowling coach for the England Under-19s tour of India early next year, Carl Hopkinson, the county’s Academy Director, has been working on the squad’s fielding at the Performance Centre this week, filling in for the ECB national lead fielding coach Chris Taylor who is also in Dubai with the Lions.
Ed Barnes has become Yorkshire’s second representative in the Young Lions squad which will travel to Dubai on December 3 for three weeks of warm-weather training based at the ICC Academy, including two one-day matches and one three-day fixture against UAE XIs.
Barnes, a fast bowling allrounder from Knaresborough, made his England Under-19s debut against Sri Lanka last summer – and joins opening batsman Harry Brook in the squad.
He has been called up following the withdrawal of Somerset allrounder Ben Green and Warwickshire’s George Panayi – in each case as a precaution, after scans, to avoid placing further stress on their lower backs. They will take a break from bowling, and the ECB medical staff will then work with their counties on a programme to ensure their fitness for the start of the 2017 season.
Surrey wicketkeeper-batsman Ollie Pope has also joined the squad to play a full part in this weekend’s training camp after recovering from a broken finger.
The Young Lions are aiming for selection in a 15-man squad for the tour of India, which will include five 50-over Under-19 internationals in Mumbai between January 30 and February 8, then two four-day “Tests” in Chennai from February 13-24.
Young Lions: (for training camps in Dubai, December 3-23): Max Holden (Middlesex), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), George Bartlett (Somerset), Josh Dell (Worcestershire), Tom Banton (Somerset), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Delray Rawlins (Sussex), Amar Virdi (Surrey), Josh Coughlin (Durham), Will Jacks (Surrey), Euan Woods (Surrey), Liam Banks (Warwickshire), Aaron Beard (Essex), Ed Barnes (Yorkshire), Jack Blatherwick (Nottinghamshire), George Scrimshaw (Worcestershire).
