news
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Price and Coles Named in England Lions training camp
06/12/2023Last month Oxfordshire's Ollie Price and James Coles were named in the England Lions squad for a training camp in UAE that will take place across November and December The two players initially came through the Oxfordshire Cricket pathway where they started in the Boys Under 10s, playing in the county age group teams before going on to represent Oxfordshire within the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA) competition. Just last year, both Price and Coles were in the same squad that saw Oxfordshire become NCCA T20 Champions, alongside Harrison Ward and Tom Price. Price and Coles both had positive breakthrough seasons for their respective counties Gloucestershire and Sussex in 2023. Price scored 575 runs in the Metro Bank One Day Cup at an average of 82.14 and 763 runs in the County Championship, including three centuries and two half-centuries. Coles scored over 800 runs at an average of 42.45. Their successes on the pitch has resulted in them both receiving awards this year, namely; Gloucestershire CCC - Young Player of the Year - Ollie Price Gloucestershire CCC - Batter of the Year – Ollie Price Gloucestershire CCC - St Austell Brewery Players’ Player of the Year – Ollie Price Gloucestershire CCC - Supporter's Player of the Year - Ollie Price Sussex CCCc - Men's Performance of the Year, Presented by R-Cubed - James Coles Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) Player of the Month for August - Ollie Price The England Lions group, includes 10 players who are part of a Lions experience for the first time, will focus on developing their red-ball skills predominantly. Selection for the camp was conducted in close collaboration with both players and counties, and several players not selected have been encouraged and supported to take up other opportunities overseas to support their individual needs. The England Lions Camp aims to understand the depth of England’s pathway whilst providing developmental experiences for high-potential players closely aligned to England’s future needs. England Men’s Performance Director, Mo Bobat, said: “It’s great to have both Ollie and James with us for our overseas training camp in Abu Dhabi. They’ve both shown real potential for their respective counties and we’ve been following them closely for some time. The purpose of this camp is to expose players to international specific challenges and expertise and in doing so, help them to develop their Test match skills and readiness. They’ll have the chance to work with England coaches and players which will be great for them both. I’m confident that they’ll benefit and return even better players. In addition to performances and results, Ollie has stood out for his ability to play spin in domestic cricket, as well as his own spin bowling capabilities. James has shown an ability to remain calm under pressure and score aggressively when his team has required a contribution. Similar to Ollie, James’s bowling has potential for growth. With both players starting their journeys at Oxfordshire, it’s great to see them develop as players and people, and credit deservedly goes to all of those that have supported them on their way. “ Oxfordshire Cricket Performance Director, Matthew Barnes, said: “We are incredibly proud of Ollie and James and delighted that they have been rewarded with England Lions selection in recognition of their potential and performances within the professional game. It is also fitting that the pair who have emerged from our talent development system, and who were once pupils at Magdalen College School will be able to share the experience in the company of one another. I speak on behalf of everyone at Oxfordshire Cricket in wishing Ollie and James a positive experience with the England Lions and the very best for the future as they continue to establish their careers within the professional game.”
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Banbury Indoor League - Division 2 - Table - 23/24 - WEEK 5
30/11/2023Banbury Indoor Cricket League Division 2 League Table - Week 5 TEAM Played Won Bonus Points Total Bat Bowl Broughton & N.N. 4 3 12 11 83 Hooky Renegades 5 3 12 9 81 Cropredy A 4 3 10 6 76 Middleton Cheney 4 2 9 9 58 Sandford St. Martin A 4 2 7 8 55 Hinton in the Hedges 4 2 7 5 52 Deddington 5 0 11 5 16
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Player Development Workshops - December
24/11/2023We are delighted to let you know about our Player Development Workshops that Oxfordshire Cricket are running during the Christmas break, Thursday 21st December and Friday 22nd December. We have scheduled a varied programme of workshops that targets a blend of specific discipline, a game theme, the opportunity for indoor match-play as well as 1-1 sessions. Every session is available for both Boys and Girls. Please see below a timetable of programme events, along with a booking link for each workshop. We ask that you please book carefully, making sure you choose the correct session for your child’s age. The Age Group eligibility table will help you to select the correct session for your child. Our Player Development Workshops do not form part of our annual pathway programme, and are an offering for those who wish to access additional activity during time-points where there’s a School Holiday/Half-Term. Workshop Programme Below is the programme of events, including booking links for each session. For further information on each session, please see a description of each below the programme of events. THURSDAY 21ST DECEMBER & FRIDAY 22ND DECEMBER Workshop Day Date Age group Pathway Time Venue Player Capacity - Max Workshop Player Charge Booking Link T20 Skills Camp Thursday 21/12/23 Under 11 to 13 Boys & Girls 09:00-15:30 Cothill House School, OX13 6JL 24 £75.00 Book Here 100 Ball Competition Friday 22/12/23 Under 10 & 11 Boys & Girls 09:00-12:00 Cothill House School, OX13 6JL 18 £40.00 Book Here 100 Ball Competition Friday 22/12/23 Under 12 & 13 Boys & Girls 12:30-15:30 Cothill House School, OX13 6JL 18 £40.00 Book Here T20 Skills Camp - a varied session exploring the batting, bowling and fielding skills associated with shorter format cricket. Sessions offer opportunities to practise specific skills, as well as compete against your peers. The T20 Skills Camp will be held over 2 days in October, and 1 full 6.5 hour day in December.. The 100 Ball Competition - this session will utilise the indoor space to run two hundred ball games (per session). Players who sign on will be split into two teams, who will compete against each other across the 3 hour session. Rules will be adapted throughout to maximise the player experience. All of the workshops are specifically designed for Representative, Club or School players who have or currently play hard ball cricket. Sessions will be led by the Performance team, alongside other coaches who work across our Pathway or Emerging Player Programmes. Player Development Workshops will use a hard ball and all players will need the appropriate playing equipment. Each session will be delivered using favourable Coach:Player ratios (varies depending on booking), to maintain quality provision and provide players with the support they need. Age Group Eligibility Players MUST be born within the age group category - please check the session’s age groups carefully before booking. Age Groups 2023-24 U18 - 1/9/2005 to 31/8/2007 U16 - 1/9/2007 to 31/8/2008 U15 - 1/9/2008 to 31/8/2009 U14 - 1/9/2009 to 31/8/2010 U13 - 1/9/2010 to 31/8/2011 U12 - 1/9/2011 to 31/8/2012 U11 - 1/9/2012 to 31/8/2013 U10 - 1/9/2013 to 31/8/2014 Booking Information Please note that spaces will be limited at all workshops and will be booked on a first come first served basis. Once all the places are booked the session will no longer be available to make a booking. Player Requirements Players need to wear appropriate clothing and footwear for indoor cricket coaching environments. Players MUST bring their own HARD BALL playing equipment. No playing equipment will be available to borrow or share. Players should also bring a water bottle, meals or snacks and medical equipment as appropriate. If you have any specific questions regarding these please do not hesitate to contact Pathway Manager, Sam Arthurs on sarthurs@oxoncb.com or Performance Coordinator, Alex Westbury on awestbury@oxoncb.com.
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Reducing Barriers within the opening phase of the 2023-24 Pathway Programme
23/11/2023Oxfordshire Cricket have sought to remove talent inclusion barriers within the opening phase of the Pathway Programme in 2023-24 with the aim of providing a more equitable and inclusive programme. Our approach to achieve this in 2023-24 has been; To increase equity and reduce accessibility barriers by removing participation charges at the point of entry, subsidising the entire cost of the opening phase of the programme so that it is free of all direct costs. To ensure our Pathway is accessible and inclusive for both Girls and Boys by removing nomination barriers to allow player nominations to be submitted by any individual, rather than via a nominator as was required in the past. Oxfordshire Cricket will be providing in excess of 440 hours of free developmental opportunities to the 850 players who have accepted their place within the opening phase of the 2023-24 pathway programme. In total, Oxfordshire Cricket have scheduled 222 x 2 hour sessions across the Under 11 to Under 18 Age Groups which are taking place between late October and mid-December 2023. Each player invited to attend the opening phase of the programme has been offered 5 x 2 hour sessions that are free of participation charges over an eight week period. To enable the opening phase to be free of participation charges, Oxfordshire Cricket will incur a considerable financial outlay with fifty percent of the expenditure covered by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Additional County Age Group (CAG) funding. The additional ECB CAG funding has been offered to improve the accessibility of talent pathways and to reduce the overall programme costs to parents across the ECB defined County Age Groups of Girls’ Under 11 to Under 18 and Boys’ Under 13 to Under 18. To ensure that the removal of phase 1 participation charge is fair and equitable to all ages, genders and stages of development, Oxfordshire Cricket will again be utilising their own Cricket Board financial reserves to support the Boys Under 11 to Under 12s who do not benefit from the additional ECB Funding. There are participation charges for future phases of pathway programme activity for those identified and selected to transition through to Phase 2 and 3 and we have committed to deploying further board financial reserves to make these phases more affordable. The aim is to reduce the overall participation costs and we have a player bursary support mechanism in place to help those apply for financial assistance should it be needed via the Player Bursary Application Form Performance Director, Matthew Barnes said: “We have opted for a proactive approach in response to the findings of the ICEC report by targeting the reduction of accessibility and affordability barriers within the opening phase (phase 1) of our pathway programme in 2023-24. We have made alterations to phase 1 so that it is inclusive and accessible to all player nominations and so that affordability is not a limiting factor to an individual’s ability to participate. It was essential that any changes to the opening phase of our pathway programme did not negatively impact our longitudinal approach to talent identification and development. Within Phase 1 we are providing individuals with ten hours of development opportunities that allows for talent to be identified, developed, selected and confirmed and which aids us in making fair, meritocratic and informed player selection decisions. Our decision to innovate from convention quickly in response to the findings of the ICEC report is evidence of our commitment to ensure that cricket is a game for everyone and the sport of choice in Oxfordshire.” Pathway Manager, Sam Arthurs said: “Being able to remove cost as a barrier for participation within our opening observation phase makes our pathway more accessible to aspiring cricketers, especially those from diverse groups. In addition to this, our player bursary support mechanism will help to reduce the cost of participation, for those who require financial assistance, in phases 2 and 3. Maintaining a longitudinal approach to talent identification and development is incredibly important to us, ensuring that we continue to develop a constant stream of cricketers to populate both the recreational and professional game. With all players being required to attend phase 1, which is 5 sessions (10 hours) in length, it provides all participants equal opportunity to be selected for later phases, whilst also offering developmental opportunities to all those who aspire to represent Oxfordshire at age group level in the Summer. We are excited about the progressions made to our pathway programme and continue to work toward making cricket the sport of choice in Oxfordshire.”
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Upcoming First Aid Courses
22/11/2023Oxfordshire Cricket is pleased to announce that there will be a First Aid courses held on the following dates: Broughton & North Newington CC - 7th December 2023 (6-9pm) - HERE Bicester & North Oxford CC - 8th January 2024 (6-9pm) - HERE Tiddington CC - 4th March 2024 (6-9pm) - HERE The course will be held from 6-9pm and will be delivered by Sarah Humphries of Medi Training. The course is £45 per person and is limited to 18 individuals. If you have any questions please contact Ed Wilson - Cricket Development Manager at EWilson@oxoncb.com