National Cricket Academy

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	The National Cricket Academy should lead to a revolution in English cricket and the BOLA is a crucial part of its ground-breaking set-up. The England and Wales Cricket Board’s quest to become the world’s leading cricketing nation by the year 2007 took a significant step forward when they opened the National Cricket Academy at Loughborough University. The £4.5 million complex took a little over a year to build and is expected to play a major role in the development of future England Test cricketers. Outgoing Academy director Rod Marsh, the former Australian wicket-keeper, thinks that England can now boast, “the best facilities in the world, appreciably in front of anywhere else. It’s a great place for the players to come in and work on their game on a daily basis. My job is to try to get these guys to a level where they are capable of representing England at international cricket and if some of them don’t make it, at least they’re keeping the pressure on those who have. Naturally, the best facilities in the world require the world’s best bowling machine and the academy has purchased four BOLA ‘Professionals’ which have been supplied with custom-built stands. The stands come with a perspex shield which offers protection for the machine operator. They give a clear view of the batting end and incorporate video cameras. John Abrahams, the ex-Lancashire all-rounder and second in command at the Academy, says, “The stands make the machines even more mobile and once in place are immediately ready for use. Now that a window has been inserted to allow filming more or less straight down the line of the pitch at a very useful level, players and coaches get a stump cam view of progress.” John says that most of the Academy players are conversant with the BOLA machine (all the first-class counties have them) and they use them with the automatic feeder when doing extra practice outside their designed programmes.
	Encountering new conditons
	“Most of the time the BOLA machines are used to groove shots, so that batsmen repeat the feel of what contributes to a good shot,” explains John. “Sometimes players learn new shots, or shots played in a different way, to encounter conditions they might meet in Test Cricket or One Day Internationals. For example, preparing to play on the sub-continent, where the ball reverse swings and perhaps does not bounce as much, can be replicated very successfully with a BOLA machine." The new cricket centre houses the largest purpose-built indoor cricket school in the world. It measures 70 metres by 25 metres and the six lanes can accommodate a fast bowler off a full run-up bowling to a wicket-keeper standing back. There are surfaces which will benefit fast, medium and slow bowling and the ‘Hawkeye’ tracking system has been installed as a coaching aid in all lanes. Outdoor facilities include Loughborough University’s main cricket square and one other high-quality pitchas well as twenty grass nets. The Academy employs a full-time groundsman solely to maintain the cricket facilities. Hugh Morris, ECB Performance Director, who has had overall responsibility for the project says, “We chose Loughborough University because of its breadth of training, medical and sports science facilities. These are not only world class but are gathered together on one site as part of the English Institute of Sports network. Our cricketers will also be able to mix with many of the country’s best athletes from a range of other sports which can only be beneficial for them.”




		TOP: Three new BOLA Professional machines on their custom built stands. BELOW: John Abrhams, Troy Cooley and Rod Marsh at the National Academy in 2004


		"preparing to play on the sub-continent, where the ball reverse swings and perhaps does not bounce as much, can be replicated very successfully with a BOLA machine.” JOHN ABRAHAMS ASSISTANT COACH ECB NATIONAL ACADEMY

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			SCHOOL'S OUT - END OF TERM REPORT CARDUS CENTRE - CRICKET SCHOOL AT SHREWSBURY SCHOOL PHOENIX ACADEMY - BARBADIAN CRICKET SCHOOL 2007 WORLD CUP 2007 - BOB WOOLMER EPITAPH AUSTRALIA EXPECTS - BOLA SET UP A NEW AGENCY DOWNUNDER FIELD OF DREAMS - CRICKET AT MILLFIELD SCHOOL, SOMERSET SEVERN WONDERS - NEW MACHINES AND STANDS AT WORCESTERSHIRE CCC SHORT DELIVERIES - SOME SHORT ITEMS OF BOLA NEWS