Academy XI

The Ealing CC Academy had another enjoyable season in 2010. Weather curtailed some of our fixtures but we recorded excellent wins against the highly rated Barmy Army Colts in the 2 matches we played against them. Most satisfying was the comprehensive victory over MCC who brought a full strength adult side to Corfton Road yet lost by 7 wickets after scoring more than 270. Special mention should be made of Arthur Godsall who at the age of 12 became the youngest ever senior ECC Academy debutant in the MCC match.

Despite being so young, Arthur bowled and fielded superbly and at one stage was pitted against two first class cricketers yet conceded nothing in terms of skill or competitive spirit. Other mentions should go to seam bowling all rounder Raminder Singh who made his 1^st XI debut in the National Knockout against Beaconsfield and particularly Chris Wakefield who cemented a place in the club’s first team by scoring crucial runs when David Holt’s side needed them most. This was especially true during the final of the National when Ealing found themselves in deep trouble at 68 for 5 chasing 180 to win. Chris’s calm, determined approach in conjunction with his captain restored Ealing’s hopes before the rain cruelly intervened. Preparing the best of our young players for 1^st XI cricket is a key theme for the Ealing Academy and Chris’s maturity has resulted in him being awarded the Academy captaincy for 2011 with Alex Podmore his vice-captain.

Thanks to Rob Maier for his excellent coaching in 2010 and to Dan Landman, Tahir Afridi and Mylo Wilkin who all contributed to coaching the Academy squad. We look forward to continuing to develop Ealing’s best young cricketers when Academy training begins in late March.

Peter Wellings

Ealing CC Academy Director