From small-sided junior matches to school fixtures and the highly anticipated Aysgarth Premier League, inclusivity is a key foundation
Fun, inclusive, opportunities. Those are the three words selected by director of sport, Alex Lane, to describe cricket at Aysgarth School.
The prep school, based in Newton-le-Willows, North Yorkshire, has a strong history of sporting excellence, with 17 pupils securing sports scholarships at senior schools for the next academic year, four of which are specifically for cricket.
However, it’s not all about elite sport, with every pupil having access to the same cricket programmes – both compulsory lessons and voluntary nets and winter coaching – throughout the school year, 16 teams across the year groups to ensure everyone has the opportunity to play matches, and a range of formats from traditional school fixtures to the highly anticipated Aysgarth Premier League – the school’s very own franchise circuit.
The Aysgarth pupils running through their paces in the nets (Supplied image)
“The boys do games lessons every day and every boy has played at least three matches this term. Most have averaged about eight or nine games in the B and C teams, and 12 to 15 in the A team,” explains Lane.
“Traditional match days are Wednesday and Saturday but there have been cup games, matches against local cricket clubs and primary school festivals. We’ve already had 147 fixtures this term which is amazing.
“Around 95 per cent of the school are boarders, that’s why we can do stuff in the evening and on weekends. On Monday evenings, we play T20s with shorter boundaries, pink balls and music. We’re trying to jazz it up a bit; we don’t just play red-ball. And the kids love the evening games.
“On Sundays, we do something called the APL for the full boarders – some of the boys even come back early for it – and we have an auction, captains bid for their players, including one staff member, and absolutely love it.
“It’s all about promoting the participation and enjoyment element of the game and trying to encourage them to play the game for longer and enjoy cricket while they’re here. It’s non-stop cricket at Aysgarth, the boys are cricket-holics.”
In an example of how keen the pupils are on cricket, Lane is speaking to The Cricketer from the school’s nets where despite only getting back from a cricket tour in Buckinghamshire at 11:30pm the night before, around a dozen pupils are using their free time to hone their skills.
In the past, the school has taken just one team down to Caldicott School in Slough for the three-team event with Oxfordshire prep school Summer Fields. However, this year, they fielded A, B, C and D teams at Under-13s level.
“We took 48 pupils to the tournament, so we’re proud of taking all the senior boys. They were delighted because they never thought they’d have the chance to at Aysgarth,” Lane says.
“To suit that, it wasn’t just overs formats - the D team, for example, played diamond cricket and pairs cricket. The challenge in the north is finding suitable fixtures when you’ve got a big year group as lots of prep schools only have one or two teams. You have to think outside the box otherwise you can completely turn people off the game.”
However, the highlight for Lane was the A-team’s final-ball thriller against Caldicott: “I’ve never seen a school game where the crowd – there were over 100 people on the bank – were silent.
“It went down to the last ball. The scores were tied and Caldicott tried to drop it and run. There was a brilliant bit of fielding, we got the runout to secure the tie and our boys erupted.”
.jpg)
'The pupils use their free time to hone their skills' (Supplied image)
The school’s inclusive approach to sports extends into their pre-prep section, with Lane running co-educational cricket sessions twice a week even though the girls move onto new schools for year 4.
“The girls love it,” Lane says. “It’s small-sided games with skill development included to keep them moving and active. We play a lot of boy's schools but we’re trying to get more enthusiasm for fixtures. Next year, I’m hoping we can host primary schools, let them use our facilities, and get loads more cricket on.”
One of the school’s recent additions is former Yorkshire, Essex and England cricketer Paul Grayson. The 51-year-old lives in the village – his wife is the school’s nurse – and now works at Aysgarth as their cricket professional. And according to Lane, his impact on the pupils has been huge.
James Alderson - Head of Cricket; Alex Lane - Director of Sport; Paul Grayson - Cricket Professional
“He goes round all of the teams and looks at techniques, speaks to the boys and pulls them aside for drills,” Lane says. “He doesn’t run a team because he wants to access everyone as much as he can.
“We had a lad this year who was in the A team but wasn’t outstanding. Paul has turned him into a proper batter and now Yorkshire want him. It’s phenomenal how much he’s progressed just by changing a couple of things slightly. Me and James [Alderson] were cautious about changing things in the middle of the season but Paul just did it and he went on to score 117 in his next game.
“Another boy started the year in the C team, but he’s set to play in the A team after listening to Paul, asking him questions constantly and just spending as much time in the nets as he can.
“In Newton-le-Willows, where a few hundred people live, we’re very lucky to have someone like him.”
A break time game of 'COW'
Lane is also keen to stress the ongoing impact of Head of Cricket, James Alderson. "We are very lucky to have someone of his expertise and skill levels coaching the boys to the highest level. James played for Durham 2nds, Senior Academy and as a Junior, and is currently a 1st team player at Barnard Castle CC.
"James coaches the U13a team and spends time overseeing all of the age groups regardless of ability in order to help and improve. He is often seen out in the yard at break time showing off his skills when playing our yard game, 'COW'.
"The boys make a real effort to try and get James out and since I have been here, I haven't seen it yet - maybe one day it might happen!"
Lois Turner, captain of the British Women's Blind cricket team
Aysgarth go even further by offering visually impaired coaching, led by none other than Lois Turner, captain of the British Women's Blind cricket team. Lane says "Lois has run sessions with a visually impaired pupil at our school. We also invited a number of visually impaired children from the local community to get involved in a group training session at Aysgarth promoting our 'cricket for all' philosophy!"
The Cricketer would like to thank Durant Cricket for their ongoing support of our schools cricket coverage. For more on Durant Cricket, including booking a site visit, please click here
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.