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Gloucestershire Cricket "bowled over" by Wycliffe College

16 December 2013

John Bracewell, Director of Cricket, gives an insight into why the 1^st team players are enjoying some off piste training at Wycliffe’s Sports Centre, as part of their winter fitness programme, and how the partnership came about:

“Gloucestershire Cricket started working with Wycliffe about four years ago as part of our highly successful Cricket Academy run by Owen Dawkins.  The aim of the GCCC Academy is to identify, nurture and coach talented young players, alongside providing a stable educational environment in which they will develop their academic and social abilities.  We find that the players who have followed this pathway are much better equipped at dealing with the emotional and physical demands of being a professional cricketer.”

Gloucestershire Cricket boasts one of the youngest squads in the country; this is partly due to economics and having to be more resourceful in the midst of a recession but it is also due to valuing its own academy graduates as the first stop for recruiting into the First Team.  This makes Gloucestershire Cricket a destination club for any aspiring young player.  By partnering with schools such as Wycliffe, the Academy is not only investing in the Club’s future, it is also investing in the academic success of its young players.

John continues; “We have placed several Academy players at Wycliffe, such as former pupils Christian Purchase, Josh Wingfield, Tom Shrewsbury and current Academy player, Jack Butler who is in his final year at the college.  We have found Wycliffe a perfect partner, able to offer outstanding coaching with first-class facilities.  In fact, the connection doesn’t stop there as two of the current squad, the Gidman brothers, both attended Wycliffe and Head of Cricket, Martyn Kimber was a young cricketer and colleague back in my native home in New Zealand.

"With the players now well into their winter training programme, we decided that it would be a good idea to vary their training schedule and the opportunity of using the outstanding sports facilities at Wycliffe was too good an opportunity to miss.  The lads have enjoyed trying new skills, such as fencing and squash with Wycliffe coaches taking the lead.  They have also benefitted by being able to work in small drills of threes and fours, thanks to the double sized sports hall.  This has really aided their fitness and teamwork.  With our outdoor training not starting until 1 March, it is fantastic we are able to go to Wycliffe for part of our training.  We are hoping to extend this further into the New Year."

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