Elite Cricket inspires, develops and empowers cricketers from beginner through to the elite level with comprehensive, innovative and proven coaching programs.
Our comprehensive range of exclusive, innovative and proven programs operate year round to provide cricketers with an extremely satisfying cricket experience, develop skills, build confidence and increase understanding and enjoyment of the game of cricket.
Please visit our Programs page for more information.
On Sunday, 60 talented young cricketers donned their whites to take part in the Sydney Cricket Club’s annual Junior Tigers Program.
The Academy, run by Elite Cricket Coaching for the Sydney Cricket Club, is designed to provide a pathway for the development, coaching and mentoring of talented young cricketers who will eventually see the Sydney Cricket Club as their home as they mature into Grade cricketers.
The program was launched in 2008/09 and head coach, Mark Atkinson has been delighted with the outcomes to date, “Happily I am able to report that 10 of the final 13 players selected for Green Shield in both 2008/09 and 2009/10 were Academy program graduates, of which 10 players have already progressed into grade cricket, including selections in the NSW U/17 squads, City U/16 representative teams and Tigers 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade teams. Clearly, if talented young players are looking to progress into grade cricket and beyond, the Academy program represents not only a great stepping stone for their career but also an outstanding opportunity to develop their skills. We are very hopeful of having our first Junior Tiger selected in 1st grade this season”
The program will include the appearance of some special guest coaches including former Blues legends Wayne ‘Cracker’ Holdsworth and David ‘Freddy’ Freedman who will share with the boys their views about succeeding in cricket and taking your game to the next level.
The program takes place over 6 sessions and will focus on teaching correct techniques, developing tactical awareness and game sense, injury prevention and preparation for competition and includes a fitness component where the boys will be put through a challenging routine to ensure they are fit and match ready for when the posts come down and cricket pitches reappear on the grounds.
More information please contact Mark Atkinson 0422 787 727
Elite Cricket recently held a one day Boot Camp at Gladesville Indoor Centre. Players were put through their paces throughout the day including having their bowling action filmed and analysed, net sessions, centre wicket scenarios, specialist spin, pace and wicketkkeping sessions and an individual batting session in the nets against the bowling machine.
The program was a great way for players to start thinking cricket and to gain a clear understanding of what aspects of their game need work before the season begins. Boot Camps will be held once again in the October school holidays returning to our 2-day format – an intense day of training on the first day and 2 T20 matches on the final day of the program.
Cheers
Mark
Day 1
Game 1 – Elite Cricket vs Alice Springs
Elite Cricket won the toss and elected to bat. A great opening partnership of 73 by Lachlan A Stewart and Lachlan J Stewart which put the scorers into a spin! Sam Evans and Sam Pointer chipped in with a quick innings each and Matt Wilkins, James Dunn and Lachlan Hodson ably batted out our 50 overs for a score of 192. (actually it was 49 overs – unbelievably due to rain!!)
Our opening bowlers Ben Riddle and Matt Maittlen bowled tightly and Ben drew first blood in the 8th over (1 for 14). Matt dried up the runs and put on the pressure with 0 for 8 off 5. Spin was introduced with LJ Stewart and he picked up a wicket in his third over and a bowled a very miserly 10 overs 1 for10.
Our late call up Matt Saleh bowled a goodline and length and after his first spell of 5 overs was 2 for 5. The spinners were attacking at both ends when Charlie Booth took up the end with LJS annd finished with figures of 2 for 25 off his 10. James Dunn was in great form and picked up a wicket 1 for 7 off 4 overs. Ben Riddle and Matt Saleh returned for a second spell, Ben finishing the day with 2 for 11 off 8 and Matt Saleh 3 for 15 off 7.
Fielding was tight to begin with and catches went to Dunn, LA Stewart and Matt Maittlen. Louis kept cleanly and picked up a catch and a stumping.
In summary the boys went really well on their first appearance as a team. Tomorrow we play Westfield Sports High in our first T20 which will be a good test for the team and we’re looking forward to the challenge. And if today is anything to go by the boys will do well!
Final score: Elite Cricket 192 defeated Alice Springs 84
Day 2
Well it’s hard to imagine a more exciting and nerve wracking couple of games…
Game 2 – Elite Cricket vs Westfield Sports High School
The team from Westfield are mostly playing Green Shield and Grade. We always knew they were going to be extremely competitive – we just didn’t expect the game to unfold the way it did.
We lost the toss and our bowlers went well with Matt Maittlen bowling their opener in the fourth over, but by then they were on 18 (1 for 18). Not to be outdone Ben Riddle struck in the next over and had the batsman caught cleanly by Lachlan Hodson – (2 for 23). Things quietened down for a few overs and their batsmen put on another 40 runs before Sam Pointer took a good catch off Lachlan J Stewart. Next over Matthew Saleh had the batsmen caught at point by Louis Schirato – 4 for 71. Sam Pointer had a direct hit to run out batsman number 5 then in the same over Matthew Saleh struck again with a catch to Ben Riddle. 6 for 81. Lachlan A Stewart took a fine stumping off the bowling of Charlie Booth and they finished their 20 overs at 108.
We started nervously and after 8 overs were 5 for 23! However thanks to some loose bowling by them (30 sundries!!) and a brilliant knock by Louis Schirato (40 not out) we were back in the game and looked to be a chance to chase down the runs. However it wasn’t to be and we finished with a total of 98. Heads were low and nails were chewed…
However…wait there’s more…….
The umpire penalised the Westfield team for slow overs. Under the 20/20 rules they were 2 overs behind at a penalty of 6 runs per over. And that’s 12 runs to us so the umpire awarded us the win!
Elite Cricket 110 defeated Westfield 108
L Schirato 40* M Wilkins 9
M Saleh 2/20 C Booth 1/8 LJ Stewart 1/14 M Maittlen 1/18 B Riddle 1/21
Game 3 – Elite Cricket vs Darwin Sharks
We lost the toss and the Darwin Sharks elected to bat. Our bowlers were on fire and after 6 overs we had them reeling at 5 for 28. Some fine fielding and more tight bowling had them all out for 58 in less than 15 overs.Sadly like many teams chasing a small total we lost the plot. They bowled well and we batted poorly – throwing away our wickets cheaply. After 8 overs we were 4 for 21 and thanks to a crucial partnership of Matt Wilkins with James Dunn, then some digging in by Lachlan J Stewart at the end we got across the line in the 18th over but we were 8 down!!
M Wilkins 15 J Dunn 12
B Riddle 3/9 C Booth 2/7 M Maittlen 2/18 LJ Stewart 1/20
Cheers
Mark
Designed for cricketers who are looking to take their game to the next level.
High Performance Program Season 2010-11 application form
Admission to the program is by application only as the program has a minimum skill requirement.
Successful applicants for this elite level program will be over the age of 14, possess high levels of cricket skills and fitness, be self-disciplined, highly dedicated, highly motivated and prepared to work extremely hard to develop their game.
Working weekly with Mark Atkinson over a 30 week program players will train like first class cricketers to further enhance their existing skills and match awareness.
Program content includes:
Elite Cricket is pleased to announce the venues and dates for our July 2010 School Holiday Program.
JULY SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAM
The program is suitable for ages 7 – 14 and will be conducted from 9am to 3pm.
JULY ‘ON THE BALL’ PROGRAM
‘On the Ball’ is for girls and boys from 5 -7 years, who have perhaps never played cricket or who have just begun their cricketing career. In these sessions run from 9am to 12pm and are a great way to have fun and learn about the game of cricket.
JULY HIGH PERFORMANCE – BOOT CAMP
This program has a minimum skill requirement and is specifically designed for cricketers playing at representative level or its school equivalent and places are limited.
Successful applicants for this elite program will also possess high levels of cricket skill and fitness, be self-disciplined, highly motivated and aged 12 years or above.
The program features analysis of bowling action by video and extensive bowling machine batting technique work.
Cheers
Mark
Elite Cricket is excited to announce the venues and dates for our October 2009 School Holiday Program. Simply click on the links below in red for application and enrolment details.
HIGH PERFORMANCE ACADEMY PROGRAM
High Performance Academy application form
This program offers coaching on turf nets, has a minimum skill requirement and is specifically designed for cricketers 13+ playing at representative level or its school equivalent.
ONE DAY BOOT CAMP AT FIVE DOCK INDOOR CENTRE
One Day boot Camp application form
Limited to 20 places this one day intensive program includes extensive bowling machine batting work and analysis of bowling action by video.
SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAM
School Holiday Program enrolment form
Elite Cricket’s School Holiday Program is not just a school holiday activity but specifically designed to increase cricket skills and match performance.
The program is suitable for ages 7 – 14 and will be conducted from 9am to 3pm in both 2 and 3 day formats across the range of venues listed below.
THE ‘ON THE BALL’ BEGINNERS PROGRAM
‘On the Ball’ program enrolment form
‘On the Ball’ is for girls and boys from 5 -7 years, who have perhaps never played cricket or who have just begun their cricketing career. In these sessions run from 9am to 12pm and are a great way to have fun and learn about the game of cricket.
Cheers
Mark
September Specialist Program Enrolment Form
Designed for players wanting to increase their skill and knowledge in their chosen specialist discipline, this program is an ideal way to kick start your season and offers an outstanding opportunity to invest in your skills while working closely with an expert coach.
Our intensive, structured program focuses on developing the correct technique to optimise performance and prevent injury featuring video analysis and a customised individual high performance strategy.
Cheers
Mark
Following the IPL and Twenty20 World Cup it is great to have Test cricket back on the agenda. If the 2009 Ashes series can come close to the 2005 series in England in terms of competitiveness and pure excitement we will be in for a real treat. Of course in 2005 England regained the famous urn for the first time since 1985-86 only to have this compliment returned in 2006-2007 in Australia where Australia put the demons of 2005 to rest in emphatic fashion winning the series 5 – nil.
So the stage is set, however the landscape has changed significantly for Australia since 2006-2007, no longer does Australia have it’s host of champions to turn to, gone from the last Ashes series are some of the greats of the game – Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist, Hayden and Langer. Experienced performers like these not only control through the brilliance of their performances they also inspire their less experienced team mates with confidence and the self-belief that comes with knowing how to win. They will be missed.
However despite the significant loss of such vast experience in a short time frame there is still plenty to like about this younger and aggressive Australian team including a strong if not settled batting line-up and a good pace bowling attack and team.
Although perhaps not producing the big scores that we have become accustomed to recently, my former Tasmanian teammate, Ricky Ponting is the premier batsman in the world and is to be underestimated at your peril. While I wouldn’t say that he needs runs, he will need to lead from the front with the bat and his contribution will be very significant for Australia. Simon Katich – Australia’s rock fought his way back into a baggy green through sheer weight of runs after losing his Cricket Australia contract for several seasons and can now be rightly ranked among the top batsmen in Test matches over the last 2 seasons. After starting Test cricket as a highly entertaining batsman Michael Clarke, through lots of hard work and careful thought now holds his wicket very dearly. With greater precision in his shot selection, a greater emphasis on meeting the ball with the full face of the bat and a more stable hitting and head position, he has transformed himself to a bankable test batsman of the highest quality.
Mike Hussey’s Bradman-like test batting average has come back to the field somewhat lately (now in the 50’s!). Complaining of staleness (an argument that doesn’t get much truck with most 9 to 5 ers) Hussey should be well rested and hopefully able to reach the standards of excellence we have come to expect from him. This is a big series for Hussey and he needs runs to avoid further questions about his place so he won’t lack for motivation. Philip Hughes has hit the ground running in international cricket and has youth and momentum on his side and it will be very interesting how the English respond to our newest batting star. Hughes aggression at the top of the order, in the Michael Slater style, is certainly not typical of an opener. His penchant for creating room on the back foot to slice his cut shot away behind point from the line of off-stump makes him hard to pin down as the South Africans found out. However this also provides a technical weakness that the English can exploit – whether they can or not is one of the big questions of the series. After a mixed start to test cricket Brad Haddin has grabbed his chance and is a fantastic, attacking option with the bat for Australia.
The real worry for Australia is the number 6 position and it appears that 3 candidates McDonald, Watson and North will contest this position. My firm belief is that no 6 is a specialist batting position and requires century making capability from the incumbent. On this count I would rule out Andrew McDonald for Test match cricket, although clearly he is a very a handy and competitive cricketer. Shane Watson has an excellent batting record at 1st class level but he is dogged by injuries and is yet to post a commanding performance in Test cricket with the bat and he must be running out of opportunities. My preference for no 6 would be Marcus North, he grabbed his chance in South Africa and is a highly competent and experienced player.
Australia’s pace bowling stocks are strong and the inclusion of Brett Lee and Stuart Clark will increase the depth of the squad and competition for places in the starting XI. Mitchell Johnson is perhaps the form pace bowler in the world at the moment and is at the peak of his game, with the worry for England being that he is starting to swing the ball. Peter Siddle is fast, aggressive and has grabbed his chance with both hands and must start. The third and fourth pace bowling spots in the test XII will be contested by Clark, Lee and Hilfenhaus and the selectors will have to think long and hard about this. I’d opt for Clark’s metronomic accuracy and steepling bounce and the swing and pace of Hilfenhaus. So, that leaves Lee out of the XII for the first test and this selection dilemma is a good problem to have. Champions like Lee cannot be written offer and it’s possible he will influence the series at some point.
Like the No 6 batting spot, the spinning spot is a worry for Australia with the significant difference being there are 3 candidates for the batting position and only Nathan Hauritz for the spinning spot. Like McDonald, Hauritz is a very good competitive player who has posted some strong one-day performances recently but is not an option for Test match cricket. Hauritz’s bowling is more effective in one-day matches where the batsmen are compelled to go after him, in Test and 1st class cricket where the onus is an the bowler to prize the batsman out, he is not effective unless conditions are favouring spin. Hauritz will be in the first Test XII as the only specialist spinner in the party but will have little impact on the series unless the wickets are raging turners.
The lack of a genuine Test match spinner is brought about by generational change that led to the retirement of Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill and the extremely poor handling of Australia’s next generation of spin bowlers. I believe that you can’t get into too much trouble if you stick to the basics, for example what’s wrong with the idea of identifying Australia’s best spinner and providing opportunities and support at the selection table? The revolving door antics of the Australian selection panel reflect that they are yet to even identify whom the best spinner is, let alone provide them with any support. Following in the footsteps of Shane Warne – one of the greatest players to ever play the game – was always going to be a hard act to follow and perhaps it is an impossible task, however by discarding spin bowlers (Casson, Krejza and McGain) after one or two opportunities is never going to develop a spin bowler and sends the message to the players that if you don’t perform – you’re out! What is perplexing about this is Jason Krejza took 12 wickets on debut, played one more Test and then was dropped. If Shane Warne was treated the same way after his first test, the history of Australian cricket 1991-2007 might look a lot different! Furthermore, now that the selectors seem to be sticking with a spinner in Hauritz, they seem to have backed the wrong horse as to my mind bowling spin or otherwise is about taking wickets, not containment and nothing contains like taking wickets anyway! It seems the selectors have chosen the bowler least likely to do this in comparison with the other candidates in Krejza and McGain.
Australia aren’t the cricketing superpower they once were but they are still a very, very good cricket team – perhaps the best Test match team in the world – they aren’t perfect but these imperfections possibly make them a more watchable team. Whatever your thoughts, it’s great to have the 5 day game back and should be a great series. Enjoy!
Cheers
Mark
Elite Cricket is very pleased to present this exclusive Masterclass article by my former teammate Steve Herzberg. Steve is a qualified level 3 coach. He played cricket for WA and Tasmania in the 1990’s. He now runs a successful corporate training company. Steve can be reached at www.nrgsolutions.com.au or emailed at steve@nrgsolutions.com.au
Enjoy.
Cheers
Mark
As a kid playing cricket I was given a lot of advice from a lot of people. If I can recall even 10% of it now I’d be amazed. However, one piece of advice I will never forget is, “you must always respect the umpire’s decision.”
You might not always agree with it but you must respect it.
The referral process in place at the moment actually is showing young cricketers that the umpire’s decision is not always right. Just take a moment to think about the impact this could have on future generations of cricketers.
I have a few major issues with it. This article outlines them and then suggests a better alternative.
Why the referral process is wrong
Umpires confidence
Umpires are only human and like anyone will not respond well to being informed in front of a huge audience that they are making incorrect decisions. Yes, they may well say that it doesn’t bother them, but I struggle to see how having your decisions overturned could be good for your ego and mental state. More than anything I would have thought that it would bring in to question your own decision making skills and increase the likelihood of poor decisions being made after each over ruled referral. There is enough time after a game for umpires to review their performances and learn from the decisions they made.
Attitude of players
If we now show young cricketers that you can question the umpire’s decision are we not encouraging them to go ahead and do so? This changes one of key principles of the of the gentleman’s game of cricket. Players will become precocious little sh__s, constantly disagreeing with the umpire’s decision. This goes against the grain of the game of cricket. I struggle to see how this can be an improvement. Umpires must be respected for the game to be run smoothly.
Inconclusive proof
When I used to practice sometimes I would bowl at the stumps without a batsman there. There were many times when I was certain a ball was about to hit the stumps, when at the last minute it would deviate and miss. Watch how often a ball swerves and dips just before a keeper takes it.
No matter how many times you view a replay for an lbw or a questionable catch behind or bat pad there will always be an element of the doubt. The laws clearly state that the batsman gets the element of doubt and that’s where it should rest. Spending minutes watching replays is of little benefit to anyone.
Time
Cricket is a slow enough game as it is. Just ask Richie Benaud about over rates. Anything that slows the game down must be questioned. The referral system can never be rapid due to its nature and what is ultimately at stake.
What is the alternative?
Firstly, is there really a problem? I can’t see the need for it at all. Umpires will always make questionable decisions. That is part of the game. Cricket is not a game of perfect. Never has been, never will be. If you want perfect outcomes in a sport try something like darts, bridge or chess (Are these really sports? How would you warm up?)
Invest more resources in to improving the skills of umpires and in particular how they deal with high pressure situations. Accept they will make errors. Players make a lot of errors. It’s part of the game and why it’s so fascinating. There is no one formula for success.
Just because the technology is there doesn’t mean we need to use it. I’m not suggesting we go back and live in caves, just highlighting in some instances it doesn’t improve anything, it actually makes things worse.
Steve Herzberg