Derbyshire County Cricket Club is delighted to announce the Boys’ Academy intake for the 2023 season.
The Academy, headed up by Head of Talent Pathway, Daryn Smit, will be working throughout the winter period with five young cricketers, from the ages of 16 to 18, training at the Incora County Ground.
The players will be working closely with Derbyshire County Cricket Club coaching staff and support staff including Gareth Marshall (Player Pathway Officer), Ajmal Shahzad (Assistant Coach, Bowling Lead), Ben Hutchinson (Player Pathway Coach), Matt Mayer (Strength & Conditioning Coach) and Megan Stewart (Nutritionist Support).
Two new players come into the Academy for the first time. Oliver Flindall, who has been involved in the Pathway Age Groups from the Under 10’s and Will Tarrant who has been involved in Pathway Age Groups from the U15’s.
Of the five players, three have been a part of the Mini Academy or Academy Programme for the last three years.
Yousaf Bin Naeem played a Second XI game against Nottinghamshire Second XI at Belper Meadows CC during the 2022 season, and the Club will be aiming to give young players further opportunities this season, rewarding players for strong Pathway performances, as they continue on their journey to playing First Team Cricket for Derbyshire.
The Academy Intake for 2023 are as follows: Will Tarrant (Barby CC), Harry Moore (Clifton CC), Oliver Flindall (Rolleston CC), Yousaf Bin Naeem (Sandiacre CC), Tom-Kent-Smith (Ticknall CC).
The winter programme will consist of coaching for two hours at a time, twice a week focusing on individual and small group work. In February, the Academy group will also experience a cricket tour to Desert Springs (Spain) which will combine training and matches against Surrey and Middlesex Academy throughout the week. Matt Mayer will also be working the players hard to improve their overall general fitness throughout the winter.
Daryn Smit said: “ I have been really impressed by this year’s intake to date. The benefits of only having a small group has been very obvious in the personal touch that each player has received. I look forward to seeing where we can take these talented individuals and who will follow in the footsteps of Mitch [Wagstaff] and Archie [Harrison].”
