Life inside the schools cricket bubble

As restrictions begin to ease, The Cricketer talks to Simon Guy at Denstone College about how schools delivered a bubble-friendly programme

Life inside the Covid bubble has been well-documented from an elite viewpoint. International, county and IPL sides have provided fascinating insights into the world that these players enter in order to play the game. 

Reece Topley told The Cricketer about the tortoises that roamed around England’s hotel in South Africa, while many IPL stars who have since left their bubbles laid no blame at all to the entertainment and home comforts on offer, with team rooms filled with video games, pool and darts.

But what about the rest of the cricket-playing community? How do they navigate these requirements where, in schools cricket for example, cricket isn’t all they are there to do?

“I don’t think the pupils really have much idea about the hoops that we have to go through,” Simon Guy tells The Cricketer. The former Yorkshire wicketkeeper is speaking with his Denstone College hat on, where he is the director of cricket.

“But I think that’s a good thing for us, it means we’ve done a good job. At the end of the day you do what you need to do to get the game on.”

The Staffordshire school, like most others, have dedicated Covid officers in place, constantly running risk assessments on all aspects of school life to ensure pupils and staff are safe. 

And, as one can imagine, this heavily impacts on cricket.

^{Denstone College have worked hard to ensure a full fixture and training programme is delivered}

“On buses to away fixtures, we all face forward and each year group is separated. We have to keep a list of exactly where every student sits so that if once records a positive test we know exactly who they have come into close contact with,” Guy explains.

“Match teas also don’t happen right now. We’ll do a packed lunch for every player, some schools provide these for us but others don’t, so that’s another thing we have to determine in advance.”

Lunchtime at the school is also significantly affected, with pupils eating in set time slots in year group bubbles. However, if a pupil is in a bubble that eats later, yet needs to be on a bus or out on the field earlier, there are even more logistics to be managed.

“On top of all that, we have the ECB guidelines to follow too and we check 24 hours in advance with the opposition that there are no cases. Then after all of this, you’ve got a bit of coaching to do!

“The headmaster of all these schools are asking whether we’re aware and happy with all the extra time and work it is taking to operate a cricket programme this summer, but we’re all fully aware and why would we not want to make the effort?

“I’ve not slept for seven days but you see the kids playing on a Saturday and it’s all worth it.”

It has been a fast start to the cricketing summer at Denstone.

“The winning and losing is not the most important thing but we’ve had a really successful start. We got four out of four against Worksop first up but the best part about that was that every game went down to the wire, where either team could have won.

“If you’re thinking about your first four games of cricket that is exactly how you want it. Every team was involved, totally engaged, the opposition were brilliant and we were lucky to get the right side of four wins. It was the perfect first run-out.”

One positive from the lack of sport over the past year at the school has been the investment in facilities.

“The ground staff have had a little more time to invest this year. The grass nets are absolutely unreal, the best ever. They are usually good but at the moment they are ridiculous. Honestly, I’d bat on them myself. From a training point of view we have astro nets as well so we have a good mix.

^{Simon Guy keeping wicket for Yorkshire in 2007}

“To have the wickets here where the ball comes onto the bat, we had genuine bouncers here on Saturday, it was amazing to see. A proper test.”

Once protocols have been ticked off and the pristine wickets are ready to be played on, Guy’s role really kicks in as a coach and educator. It is one thing to teach good technique, but Guy’s approach with the students to help them learn about the game, the art of captaincy and decision-making, completes a well-rounded programme.

“I do have a laugh and a joke with kids and sometimes wind them up. Recently, a lad had his hands on the wicket and asked what he should be looking for. I joked that I like to listen to it and give it a lick to see what it tastes like. We have a laugh but that’s how you engage conversation and teach them to figure out what to look for.

“You might see that it shapes at one end meaning it’ll be more likely to turn. Or there’s a ridge in the middle part so you pull your length back. The pitch could be slightly worn so you put a left-armer at a particular end.

“Schools are here to create opportunity and experiences. The more experiences pupils have the more knowledge they have. Out on the field with me you are allowed to make mistakes, but then you learn from them.

“Being a captain in cricket is not like in other sports. In rugby or football you can have your best player, maybe the one who puts the first hard tackle in, but in cricket you’ve got to have your best chess player, someone who can moved the pieces around, someone who can plan five moves ahead.

“You need to allow them to make mistakes. Sometimes you see coaches walking around trying to move fielders and telling the captain who to bowl next. For us, we agree on a plan, but if the captain feels he needs to move someone, then go ahead and change it.

“I want our captains to explore, have fun with it. Bring someone on who might not normally bowl, just to change ends or knock batsmen off their ideas.”

Schools cricket has a big summer ahead, with bowlers rediscovering their rhythm and batters their technique and taste for runs. But it is heartening to see Denstone furthering their students’ tactical education of the game too.

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