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.
After a hectic day off yesterday, which included a visit to Crocosaurus, a walk around Darwin, 2 hours in the wave pool, buckets of balls at the driving range, putt putt, dinner out and the State of Origin, the boys were tired at days end!!!
Game 4 – Elite Cricket vs Darwin Bulls
Day 4 saw our fourth game vs the Darwin Bulls back at Marrara Number One.
Elite Cricket won the toss and decided to bat. After losing both openers early we staged a great partnership of 80 runs between Sam Pointer and Sam Evans which saw our 2 for 17 in the 6th over go to 2 for 97 in the 33rd. Sam Evans was caught just after he reached his 50 and Sam Pointer formed a valuable new partnership of 94 with James Dunn (42) and we finished with 201 four our 50 overs.
The Darwin Bulls started shakily and lost their openers early to good deliveries for Matthew Maittlen and Matthew Saleh. Their number 3 was a very capable batsmen who challenged the field before being ably caught and bowled by James Dunn. Louis Schirato claimed (another) fine stumping off Lachlan J Stewart who then followed up by completing a great run out. The Bulls chased hard but in the end were halted in their charge to victory by a brilliant spell of bowling by Lachlan Hodson who claimed 3 for 25 for eight overs and some great catching from the redoubtable James Dunn and ever present Matthew Wilkins!
The side was once again well captained by Charlie Booth and ably supported (in no particular order) by the Schiratos, the Riddles and Steve Hodson, which has been fantastic for the boys!
Tomorrow sees us looking to maintain our unbeaten run in order to claim the championship! Exciting stuff! Well played boys!
Elite Cricket 201 – Pointer 69, Evans 50 and Dunn 42 defeated Darwin Bull 164 Hodson 3/25
Day 5 Darwin Cricket Festival
Game 5 – Elite Cricket XI vs Kormilda College
The last game of the tournament was played at the picturesque school ground adjacent to our accommodation at Kormilda College
We lost the toss and Kormilda elected to bat. The Kormilda team were younger than our boys but had a couple of gutsy batsmen in their ranks. Unfortunately one of their openers had to retire hurt in the 3rd over after a rising ball from Ben Riddle winded him. A great spell from Matthew Maittlen delivered an lbw in the second over to leave the score at 1 for 3. They scored at a very slow rate and their second wicket didn’t fall until the 22nd over when their number three batsman was bowled by Charlie Booth with the score now at 2 for 39. They hung in there to still have plenty of wickets and plenty of time at the 25 over half way mark. (2 for 41) The captain was concerned and the boys received some “no nonsense, no frills” advice from the coach along the lines of “….it’s up to you now boys – you know what to do – if you want to win this – do it!” The captain took up the mantle himself and in combination with Lachlan Hodson and James Dunn took the 8 remaining wickets and Kormilda were dismissed with 4 overs remaining for 62.
Matthew Wilkins and Louis Schirato opened our innings and the two batsmen made their intentions clear with some aggressive batting. Unfortunately this cost Matthew his wicket when he was on 10, to be replaced by Sam Evans. Louis and Sam quickly and efficiently went about passing the Kormilda total and did so in the sixteenth over.
Elite Cricket 1/63 defeated Kormilda College 10/62
Louis Schirato 33* Sam Evans 13*
C Booth 5/7 L Hodson 2/5
This victory left the Elite Cricket XI undefeated and therefore tournament champions. The presentation ceremony was held back at Marrara Oval where the captain having been presented with the winners trophy proceeded to call up the team individually to receive their medallions.
Three of our team Charlie Booth, Ben Riddle and Matthew Saleh were also selected in a Team of the Carnival XI from the tournament.
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
Hi Guys
Please find a link below to an article about swing bowling for your information. Enjoy.
Mark
Following on from the success of our inaugural High Performance Academy at St. Ignatius College, Riverview 2008, I am very pleased to announce January 8th and 9th as the dates for our 2009 program again to be hosted at St. Ignatius College, Riverview.
High Performance Academy – January 2009 – Application form
This program is specifically designed for those cricketers playing at representative level or its school equivalent and is a key feeder program to the Sydney Cricket Club Academy program and Grade and Green Shield teams. Successful applicants for this elite program will also possess high levels of cricket skill and fitness, be self-disciplined, highly motivated and aged 13 years or above.
Academy participants will train like first class players and be challenged by an intensive program to further enhance their existing skills. On both days, players will have the opportunity to choose specific training in their preferred discipline with expert coaching in Wicket keeping, Batting, Pace and Spin Bowling.
Again I am looking forward to the opportunity of bringing a group of talented players together with excellent coaches and terrific facilities where all players will gain valuable insights, experience and inspiration from the program.
Cheers.
Mark
Below I have provided some guidelines on developing a clear and simple plan to succeed which may provide you with some ideas to compliment your current planning process.
Point #1: Identify your job in as much detail as you can, so you know clearly what it is.
A good starting point is to ask yourself the question ‘What does my team need me to do in this situation’. When you have worked out what you need to do you then need to work out how you will do it, which is where you plan comes in.
Ponit #2: Develop a simple, realistic plan that will allow you to do your job.
Keep it simple, my personal plan, simply stated is defend on the stumps, score or leave width. My key technical points are to be as stable as possible and hit as straight as I can for each shot.
Ponit #3: Knowing your job will help you to make better decisions in the middle.
If an openers plan was to open the batting and bat through the innings to score a big hundred for his team, he may identify that in order to do this he will leave all the balls he faces on a good length outside off-stump and that all balls on this line that are full he will drive and all the balls short on this line will be cut. Weather you have the same plan yourself doesn’t matter, the point is that in order to achieve a larger goal the player has identified a plan that will guide his action. It will be up to the player to execute his plan but at least he will have a sense of purpose to guide him through the decisions he must make in his innings.
Ponit #4: Thinking is hard but the effort to plan is worth it. Use your mind to get the best out of your skills.
Being in control of your thoughts, in my view is the critical factor in being successful as it determines how well you will apply your mind to the job you need to do (your plan). Having a plan will guide you in the process of understanding your game and getting the most from your skills.
Point #5: Take responsibility for yourself; work out your job on your own.
I don’t think it is up to the captain to work out your job for you, if the job is against the team interests your captain will soon tell you and if your job is to help the team to win by scoring lots of runs and taking lots of wickets the captain will love it. It doesn’t make sense to ask someone else for help until you have had a go at fixing your problem yourself, it’s your Saturday, it’s your time, work how you want to play and do it, anyway your know your game better than anyone else. Your captain and other senior players can help you but it should not be up to someone else to work out your job for you. The best way to learn is to work it out for yourself; they are your runs, your wickets, your figures and your average, take responsibility for them.
Point #6: Work out what your job in the team is and go out and enjoy the challenge of putting your plan into place.
We all get nervous and worried about failing at times, enjoying the great challenge that playing cricket provides will increase your chances of success, if you enjoy something you do it well!
Good luck
Mark
Designed for cricketers who are showing an interest in the more specialised area of spin bowling, this program is an ideal way to increase your skills and learn more about the great game of cricket.
Headed by Cricket NSW High Performance coach David Freedman and Sydney 1st grade spinner Matt Todd this intensive, structured program focuses on developing the correct technique to optimise performance and prevent injury featuring video analysis, a customised individual high performance strategy and comprehensive report.
Designed for pace and swing bowlers, the program is an ideal way to increase your skills and learn more about the art of fast bowling.
Headed by NSW Blues paceman Mark Cameron and Elite Cricket Senior Coach Paddy Little this intensive, structured program focuses on developing the correct technique to optimise performance and prevent injury featuring video analysis, a customised individual high performance strategy and comprehensive report.
Sydney Tigers Academy Squad 2008-9
Sydney Tiger Academy players hard at work
On Sunday May 18th, 36 young players swapped their football boots for cricket spikes and began training for the cricket season.
The boys were part of the inaugural Sydney Cricket Club’s Tiger Academy. The Sydney Cricket Club is a newly formed venture between the former UTS – Balmain Tigers and the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust.
Aged between 12 and 15, the players have been identified by their various local clubs as talented cricketers and over the winter will focus on forming correct techniques, developing tactical awareness, injury prevention and general preparation for competition.
The Academy, run by Mark Atkinson’s Elite Cricket Coaching for the Sydney Cricket Club, is designed to provide a complete 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.
Daryl Chappelow, General Manager of the Sydney Cricket Club said to the players and parents yesterday, “The Club is committed to maintaining its position in the forefront of the Sydney Grade cricket scene and to do this we will be offering a training and coaching regime which will provide first class coaching at all levels – this Junior Tiger Academy is one example of our commitment”
It’s also offers a great opportunity for the boys to train and play with cricketers of similar talent and be exposed to coaches who offer expertise in areas of batting, pace and spin bowling and wicket keeping.
Further details
Daryl Chappelow
Sydney Cricket Club
dchappelow@scgt.nsw.gov.au
www.sydneycricketclub.com.au
The most difficult part of an innings is arguably the first forty minutes, if you have got this far (40 minutes) you have probably become used to the conditions and the bowlers to a degree and progress from this stage is more about continuing to apply the skills that have got you to where you are. That is after the first 40 minutes you are more likely to get yourself out by a mistake than by having the bowlers knock you over!
In contrast the first 40 minutes of an innings is more about dealing with uncertainty in terms of factors such as the bowlers, the pitch, your nerves and the game situation. It is fair to say that this is a fairly anxious, stressful and difficult time that requires a lot of skill to survive and thrive. The positive in this situation is that it presents a great challenge that will give you a lot of satisfaction and if you can be successful it will also set you up to make a big score. Below I have detailed a few thoughts for your consideration on starting your innings.
Keep it simple, have a simple plan, my plan is defend on the stumps, leave the width until I want to hit it (when I’m ready). When I execute this plan I remove caught behind, lbw and bowled (the most likely ways any batsman can get out), which pressures the bowler to try other deliveries that create run scoring opportunities for me.
Bowlers will have their tails up when they have just taken a wicket and you have just come in, keep your expectation low at the start of an inning, play straight, leave width and relax is my thought process at this stage. There will be plenty of time for stroke play later when the bowlers are more tired and you are better set.
Play straight, this means to me if the ball is on the line of the stumps hit it back down the pitch where it came from, it is difficult to get out playing straight.
Get balanced, the most difficult time to pick the ball up is when you first come in, give yourself your best chance by being as stable/balanced as possible at all times.
Relax and enjoy the challenge, deep breathing helps me to get calm and even though its stressful I find enjoyment in the challenge, nothing worthwhile (including making runs) comes easy, you will have to work and fight for every run and also if you enjoy something you will do it well.
Good luck
Mark
I heard an expression that made me think recently, it was ‘95% of people turn up’. I think that the application of this expression to cricket is that in most cases 100% of people turn up to a game, but how many of the 24 people at the game turn up to do what it takes to win or to play the best game of their lives or to take responsibility for their team winning the match.
I believe that great performances don’t just happen, they are a result of making the effort to plan carefully and having the courage to make a disciplined effort to execute the plan with precision. People don’t play for Australia or achieve any great success by accident it is the result planning and effort.
I think the easy thing to do is just turn up to a match and go with the flow of the game taking the attitude that if your team and team-mates have a good day you can cruise along with them. It’s easy not to think! (95% of people turn up!)
The tough but rewarding thing to do is to make the effort to take the responsibility for being the very best you can be. This path does not guarantee you success, however it does give you the chance to be the best you can be and if you never aim to do something, how can you achieve it other than by luck and let’s face it you could be waiting around a long time for a lucky break!
To be the best you can be means you need the courage to take the risk to commit fully to carrying out your game plan and accepting the consequences no matter the result. You need the courage to test yourself and see how good you can be and this means taking the risk to fail. However, failure is not a bad thing in fact I see it as an opportunity and if you can be honest with yourself every performance is an opportunity to learn weather you succeed of fail. For example if you failed under a certain set of conditions or against a certain bowler what did other people do that worked in these circumstances that you can learn from or how can you do it better next time.
When you turn up to your next game, will you be prepared to be the best you can be? Are you prepared to play the best game of your life or better your personal best performances? If the answer to any of these questions is YES, then have you got the plan, discipline and courage to make the effort that it requires?
Good luck
Mark