The Future Of Leicestershire - Part Two

Date: Friday 23 January 2009

The future of Leicestershire – Part 2 – The batters of the future

In the second installment of our four-part series, we continue to look at the future of Leicestershire cricket on www.leicestershireccc.co.uk

We carry on our interview with Excellence Coach Russell Cobb, this time talking about the structure of youth cricket at Leicestershire CCC.

Cobb is ideally placed to make assessments about the system, as he oversees the development of the batsmen of the future at Leicestershire CCC.

A former top-order first-class batsman himself, Cobb now plays a key role in assisting young batsmen in age-group cricket and the Academy as they begin their careers.

Cobb is keen not to put pressure on his young charges, but said there is plenty of talent within the youth system at Grace Road.

“There are people to be looking out for but it would be unfair to mention names because it creates pressure on the lads,” he said.

“But there are a few batsmen in the sub-Academy in the 13-16 age bracket coming through and a few in the Academy who are slightly older at 17 and 18.

“There are also batters coming through the age groups, right from the under-10 category. But, to allow for late developers I wouldn’t want to mention any names.

“It is more important for us to identify the talent and encourage them to reach their full potential.”

Cobb says there is no set age that is absolutely key to a young batsman’s development. Instead, he insists the importance is to pick up on early signs and then allow a player to develop in their own time.

He said: “I think you can spot a lot of things and at a very young age, such as basic desire and enjoyment and hand-eye co-ordination. Fitness plays a big part and you can also have to account for late developers.

“It’s all about having or acquiring a skill - whether it being batting, bowling, fielding, wicket-keeping or whatever - and then learning to apply that skill at the right time in the right way, such as decision-making.

“Then it’s about doing it under pressure. People mature at different ages, particularly mentally, so there’s no specific time when batsmen develop, but you can spot things at an early age.”

There has been a tremendous amount of hard work going on behind the scenes in recent years at Leicestershire CCC, with a major focus on the structure of youth cricket throughout the County.

Cobb has played a vital role in that development, and has seen a number of changes throughout his long association at the Club. He says the system has never been stronger, and opportunities never more readily available.

“The opportunities available for youngsters in this day and age are second to none,” he said.

“We have a development system that has been carefully put in place, and we work very closely with clubs and schools to identify individuals and then sift them out.

“The next rung above their club level is district level, then it’s county, county to regional and regional to England so the framework is there. If the youngsters keep performing, there is no reason why they can’t reach the top of the pyramid.

“I’ve seen it change, there has been a lot of time spent with committees to get policies in place and then it’s a case of application in terms of where we want it to go.

“It’s about getting clubs and schools to nominate the right junior players. The framework is there and youngsters these days have no end of support.

“Club cricket has taken on lots of junior coaching and fixtures so it’s just a matter of them keeping performing. If they do, the opportunities are limitless.

“For youngsters it’s all about wanting to get on the next rung of the ladder, and there is a danger of wanting to run before they can walk, but it’s just a case of performing consistently at a level before moving on. If they perform, people take notice.”

Cobb is also pleased with the relationships built up with local clubs across Leicestershire.

The coach himself has plenty of connections with Kibworth, where he played in one Cockspur Cup success at Lord’s in 2004 and managed the team to a second win at Southgate last season.

His son Josh still plays for the club when time permits, and Cobb snr says the local clubs play a vital role in the development of young cricketers.

“As far as club cricket we have pretty good tabs on local cricket and get out and about to watch games. It is important we don’t let anyone slip through the net, and that includes late developers.

“People can always come through at 17 and 18, and that is late. Even if development is late, hopefully the players are still in the system, and that system helps the players.

“We are trying to increase ties with local clubs, and we allocate players to clubs and I think that is a good thing. It is about communication and building relationships.”

So, overall, Cobb sees a rosy future for Leicestershire cricket. He said: “I certainly see a bright future, youngsters are receiving opportunities here.

“I expect a couple of tough years, but there is a nucleus building for the future. More and more players, I hope, will come from Leicestershire cricket.”

In the next part of the series, bowling coach Lloyd Tennant looks at the young bowlers who are looking to break through into the first team from Leicestershire's youth structure. He also talks about two who have made it already in Stuart Broad and Sam Cliff.