Warden Park state their credentials

Warden Park's Year 9 side enjoy their season of success

Grassroots cricket is thriving at state school level, according to Warden Park school cricket teacher James Gentry.

This year he has coached his charges to victory in the Sussex County Cup at U12, U13 and U14 level, with the teams progressing to the Daily Telegraph National competition next year, while the U10s and U15s are in the final for their age groups and in with a chance at making it a clean sweep for the Hayward Heath-based outfit.

It is the first time in local history that one school has won three or more finals in a single season. Moreover, the U14s were recently crowned Sussex Twenty20 champions.

This isn’t the only year marking a great deal of success for Warden Park. In the last seven years, the U12 team has lifted the County Cup six times, while in 2006 the U13 team progressed to the South of England final in the national competition.

Warden Park have defeated all the main private schools in the area, including Brighton College, St. Beads, Hurstpeirpoint and Windlesham House.

It is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the increased level of grassroots development, proving that state schools are producing top-class cricketers.

“First of all it’s a massive achievement for us to compete with and defeat the famous state schools in the area and to go on and represent Sussex at national level”, said a justifiably proud Gentry.

“It shows that state schools are capable of producing first-rate cricketers and competitive teams, and long may it continue.”

The Year 7 side show off their silverware

The Warden Park coach believes that state school cricket is currently very healthy, largely thanks to coordination at primary school level and the Chance to shine initiative.

“Obviously there are a few obstacles at state school level. We don’t tend to have the pupils with a background and experience in cricket, so it can be quite difficult in the state schools alone.

“However, the young school sports coordinators are doing really well. These are people who are working with five or six local primary schools to bring up the standard of school sports and ensuring that facilities are available from an early age. The Chance to shine initiative has also made an important contribution.”

Gentry was quick to acknowledge some key local advantages from which the school has benefited towards their county success.

“We do have a few things going for us – Harlands Primary School is nearby and has produced some excellent cricketers. They have won the ASDA Kwik Cricket tournament. Some of their players move on to Warden Park, so the talent is there to develop.

“There are also three or four good cricket clubs within a few miles of the school, so there’s a lot of youth cricket going on and plenty of chances for our pupils to practice elsewhere.”

It is not just in Warden Park – grassroots cricket is currently thriving throughout Sussex. According to Gentry, the continued success of Sussex CCC and their involvement is a great help.

“With Sussex playing well and picking up trophies it’s given the whole county a lift and has raised the profile of the game locally.

“The club is also doing some great work with younger players, helping clubs and running academy sessions. It means that players are getting a chance to play at a higher level than was previously possible.”

It has not been lost on Gentry that cricket has become a much more popular option amongst a much wider base of young people, something he attributes to the recent success of the England team since the memorable summer of 2005.

“Since the Ashes a lot more children want to actively take up the game in a big way, not just playing a bit at school. Some of our kids play two or three school matches a week and play for clubs as well.

“The series really raised enthusiasm for the game throughout the country and nowadays there are some really high levels of dedication.”

Aside from all the grassroots initiatives, cricketing successes and local input, Gentry was keen to cite one tried and tested source which has helped push his teams towards victory.

“We’re incredibly grateful to the parents, they make a major contribution. They have to want to support their kids to help them get to a higher level. They drive the children to matches, pay for their coaching – a lot of the parents we’ve encountered are really keen to help their kids progress, which is invaluable.”

The ECB has invested a good deal of time and money into grassroots initiatives hoping to unearth stars for the future. Gentry believes that he has already seen some real potential coming through the Warden Park ranks.

“Last year we had James Thorpe, who is already playing Sussex Second XI cricket and is involved with the England U17 set-up. He is a fantastic player and role model.

“Out of our current crop of Year 7s, five boys have been selected for the Sussex elite squad. We get a few boys each year representing the county, some of whom look to have some real potential.”

For Gentry, one of the most heartening things is to see that the nature of cricket is changing, with a much more varied cross-section of society getting involved, helping the game shift away from an old-fashioned perception as an upper class sport.

“Children just want to get involved across the board, and quite simply more and more people want to play. A much wider fan base now follows the game and it can only be beneficial to the future of cricket, both in Sussex and in England.

“There’s still more to be done though. Private schools still occupy the majority of the best coaching and facilities. I think we need to establish a few more links between private and state schools, as well as primaries, to make sure that as many as people as possible benefit from the best training available.”

The Warden Park Year 8 team