The Under 21 GDCC Academy Draft program for 2012/13 will be released shortly.
The program is subject to change while we await the final scheduling of matches for the season.
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Under 16 Program 2012/13
The program is subject to change while we await the final scheduling of matches for the season. 
Members 2010/11 Academy Members 2010/11
The Gordon Cricket Academy will announce its Under 21 and 16 squads before the start of the 2010/11 season. The first official session fitness workout is in July 2010. A member list will be posted after the initial trial sessions during the pre-season sessions. An application form for the Under 16 Academy squad can be completed electronically by following the link below: 
Under 16 Division 2011/12
Bruce Edgar to coach Under 16's again for 2011-12The Gordon Club is pleased to announce that Bruce Edgar, former New Zealand Test opening batsman twill again be the head Coach of our under 16 Academy. (see profile below). The Under 16 Academy will kick off the 2011-12 season with Monday night sessions for four weeks from the 18th July and prospective players are invited to send in an application form to trial for an Academy position. A link to the Under 16 Application form can be found below. When the Green Shield selection period rolls around, the Under 16 Academy will be split into a Green Shield Squad and the balance of the Under 16 Squad (13 and 14 year olds not in GS squad). This squad will continue to get specialised coaching from the Gordon coaching staff at their own sessions. For the benefit of prospective Academy members we have enclosed a draft program for the season. A link to the Under 16 program is also found below While the dates in July/August for the trials are confirmed, the final dates and venues of the sessions after August are still to be finalised. The sessions and matches are confirmed in principal we just need to firm up available grounds and practice facilities closer to the summer starting. The Under 16 program will include:
Bruce will also have access to Steve Smith, Matt Nicholson and Ed Howitt for Under 16 coaching. To access the Academy Application form ...click here... To view the Under 16 draft program ...click here...Profile of Bruce Edgar
Bruce had the 'fortune' of playing his Test cricket during the West Indies 'reign of terror' and opened the batting on several occasions against the legendary Malcolm Marshall, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding and Joel Garner. He therefore knows a bit about batting under pressure and scoring runs in difficult conditions. Bruce scored his highest Test score of 161 against Australia in Auckland in 1982 to help his country to a drawn series of one Test all. Bruce also scored a century in a One Day International against Australia, however this has been classified as 'the most overlooked century of all time' as he was at the other end of the wicket on 102 not out when Trevor Chappell delivered the infamous underarm ball to Brian McKecknie in February 1981. One might say that incident is more talked about that Bruce's fine innings. Bruce also played 175 First Class matches and was well known for his opening partnerships with fellow left hander John Wright. Bruce will be Head Coach of our Under 16 Academy, and will also be assisting with the Under 21 Academy coaching. Bruce's Career record is shown below
The GDCC warmly welcomes Bruce to our team and we look forward to his substantial input during the season. The Under 16 Academy committe for 2011-12 will be: Michael Falk (Under 16 Academy manager) Bruce Edgar (Under 16 Academy head Coach) Peter Horwitz Mark Carmichael (Academy co-ordinator Under 16 and Under 21) 
Under 21 Division 2011/12
The Gordon Club is pleased to announce that Mark O'Neill will again be the head Under 21 Academy coach for the 2011-12 season.. Mark will also have the services of Steve Smith, Matt Nicholson, Bruce Edgar and Ed Howitt to assist him during the season. The Under 21 program will again include the in-house intense coaching weekend at the Narrabeen Institute of sport facility. This will be pre-season and will be by invitation. The Under 21 Academy will also continue its approach to the timing of our sessions this season with more of an emphasis on building up to the Poidevin Gray matches. This will enable the Academy members to prepare with the club in the early pre-season and then have their own specialist sessions as the PG matches approach. The Under 21 program will include:
The Under 21 squad is by invitation only, however the Academy committee is very pleased to welcome new players for consideration. Fell free to contact us with your background and we will be in touch. To go to the Under 21 draft program ...click here...The Under 21 Division committee for 2011-12 is: Tony Wilson (Under 21 Academy Chairman) Mark Carmichael (Academy Under 21 and Under 16 Director)
Application Form 2012/13Gordon Cricket Academy Under 16 Development Squad Application Form - 2012/13 To apply for the under 16 development squad, please fill in the electronic application form below. Please note that to be eligible, you must be under the age of 16 at 01 September 2012 (i.e. born on or after 01 September 1996).
Application Form 2008/09Gordon Cricket Academy Under 16 Development Squad Application Form - 2008/09 To apply for the under 16 development squad, please fill in the electronic application form below. Please note that to be eligible, you must be under the age of 16 at 01 September 2008 (i.e. born on or after 01 September 1992). 
Gordon Cricket Academy Report 2007/08
The following report has been submitted for inclusion in this year's annual report. The 2007 /08 Academy season started with the planning of an ambitious 35 sessions for the Under 21, 19 and 16 divisions. Early fitness and net sessions were eagerly attended by most of the squad members and Tim Packman set out the fitness requirements for the players after aerobic testing. (Matt Jones in action) Matches were scheduled for the Academy during the season against Kings, Riverview, Shore, St. Joesphs, Macquarie University, Barker and Knox College as well as the annual Howitt vs Packman match The weather however played havoc with our preparations and four of the matches were washed out. The matches played were all won by the Academy teams and after three years of matches our team remains undefeated against the various school first XI's. Matches against the schools will be re-scheduled again for the coming season and we look forward to continuing our excellent record.
(Chris Archer during his firast grade debut at Chatswood) In addition to training and coaching sessions the Academy was thrilled to have the head of Macquarie University Sport, Ms Deidre Anderson as a speaker for one of our communications sessions at the University. Deidre was an inspiration for the 25 squad members invited to the session as well as a number of senior players and coaches including Matt Nicholson and Steve Smith. The Academy also assisted two of our members Blair Lindsay and Brad Rasool in securing education scholarships with Macquarie University. Further scholarships are being planned for the coming season. The sessions during the year included specialist coaching in all facets of the game including a series of high level batting classes run by Steve Smith in January for our Under 21 squad. Beau Casson was able to manage our spinners throughout each of the squads while Matt Nicholson provided support for the fast bowlers.
This was the eighth year of the Academy and the club is very grateful to our major sponsor Peter Horwitz for his continued support for this important initiative by the club. Peter has allowed the Academy to provide high level coaching and life skills to our members for a number of years and we look forward to his continued support. (Ben Garratt in action) I would also like to personally thank the Academy committee for its work during the season with particular mention of Tony Wilson who attended most sessions and provided excellent administrative support and guidance. Paul Stephenson Director Gordon Cricket Academy 
2006-07 Academy Report
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The Under 16 GDCC Academy Draft program for 2012/13 will be released shortly. 
Bruce Edgar was a classic left-hand opening batsman with a very straight technique who played 39 Tests and 64 One day internationals for New Zealand from 1978 to 1986. Bruce is now living in the Gordon district and has established himself as one of the country's highly skilled cricket coaches not only specialising in technique, but also very keen to imparting his knowledge on the various strategic approaches to the game that can sometimes get lost in net sessions. 
Gordon Cricket Academy Report 2007/08 
During the season there were many excellent coaching sessions provided by our head coaches Steve Smith, Beau Casson Rod Hokin and Craig Simmons and these gentlemen were ably assisted by several coaches including Michael Falk and Ed Howitt. Michael did a fantastic job again with the Under 16 squad bringing together a range of 13 to 16 year olds and providing first call introductory development skills for these young players. 
It is pleasing to report that during the year three of our members, Ben Garratt, (now over 21), Matt Jones and Chris Archer made their first grade debuts. These players will benefit greatly from their experiences.
ACADEMY REPORT 2006/07  |
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The Academy Committee was able to again vary a lot of the sessions for the Under 21's with visits to the SCG nets, fielding, communication, fitness and specialised 'video' sessions to bring as much instruction to the players as possible. The Academy was very pleased to invite Jacques van Schalkwyk, an eminent sport physiologist, who talked to the Academy members about the principals involved in being successful at sport and explained many examples of achievement for the players to aspire to. Our thanks goes to Jacques for his time and his excellent presentation.
In addition, the Under 18 division was able to play three games last season. Two of the games were against a Macquarie University Invitation XI and the Shore School First XI. The third match was a combined Academy match with the teams captained by James Packman and Ed Howitt.
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The Macquarie University match was the highlight of the season as it was played under lights at the Macquarie main oval in the first day night match played by a Gordon team. The experience for the team was very important as they look forward to future careers where playing under lights will hopefully be a common occurrence. Our thanks goes to the Macquarie University Cricket Club for organising the match and the Macquarie University Sport and Recreation (MUSR) for their initiative in putting in lights and encouraging the matches with our Academy.
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We also played the Howitt vs Packman Academy match at Macquarie Uni and the players were given a presentation by MUSR on the facilities at the University for future scholarship consideration.
The Academy would also like to thank our coaches who participated during the season and they included: Steve Smith, Matt Nicholson, Beau Casson, Richard Stobo, Ed Howitt, Michael Falk, Rod Hokin, Tim Packman, James Packman, Phil Emery, Will Smith, Brett Rosen and Neil Longhurst.
This season also saw the introduction of our Under 16 squad which included players selected from the local competitions and local schools from the age of 13 to 15. These players enjoyed an extensive coaching program first at the SCG nets and then at our Chatswood nets under the guidance of the Academy coaches including specialist coaching from Phil Emery for our keepers. The program included all of the skills involved in our game and the fielding sessions were the toughest experienced by the boys. The Under 16's also played a match against The Kings School Under 16 development squad at Kings near the end of the season. This was an excellent match with many parents watching and personal guidance during the match given by Richard Stobo and Rod Hokin. We hope to play another match this year against the Kings School and we thank them very much for their hospitality.
This year the Academy will see the graduation of five players: Josh Ling, Matt Makepeace, Nick Medcalf, Andrew Plummer and Ian Higgins. The committee would like to thank these men for their excellent contribution to the Academy over the last 3 to 4 years and we look forward to their continued development at Gordon.
The Academy was well served by an active committee again this year and I would like to particularly thank Tony Wilson for his tireless work with the Academy, organising teams, following up attendees, organising coaches, recruiting new members and generally always being available to help in any capacity. The Academy is successful because of the work of clubmen like Tony.
The full committee was Tony Wilson, Michael Falk, Ed Howitt (jnr), Michael Cant, Glynn Lawry, Mark Carmichael, Roger Evans and John Edwards. Thanks to all of the committee for their assistance.
The new season will be another big one for the Academy with Mark O'Neill appointed as head Academy Coach, more games for the squad members against School and representative teams and specialist skills and communication sessions.
Paul Stephenson
Director Gordon Cricket Academy
The Gordon Cricket Academy is sponsored by:
Academy Coaching Staff
The Gordon Club is pleased to announce the addition of Bruce Edgar, former New Zealand Test opening batsman to our Academy coaching team.
In addition Mark O'Neill will return from the UK in late September and will be head coach of the Under 21 Academy in addition to First Grade.
Steve Smith, Matt Nicholson, Ed Howitt and Michael Falk will also continue their coaching services for the club and be involved in both the Under 16's and Under 21's.
The club now have five coaches with extensive first class and Test match experience coaching our junior members, which confirms the Club's continued commitment to our young cricketers.
The Academy coaching staff:
Mark O'NeillUnder 21 head Coach Former NSW player and Level 3 coach with extensive experience in Australia, UK and New Zealand.
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Bruce EdgarUnder 16 head Coach Former NZ Test batsman with extensive coaching experience in all aspects of the game.
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Matt Nicholson:Former Australian Test and NSW Pura Cup representative. Matt is a specialist fast bowling coach and is now the NSW Bowling coach.
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Ed HowittEd is a level 3 caoch and is the Gordon Club Coach. Ed is still playing for the club as Third Grade captain.
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Michael FalkMichael is a former Gordon First Grade player. Michael is a Level 3 Cricket Australia Coach
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Steve SmithFormer Australian test and One day International representative and now a NSW selector as well as Level 3 coach. Steve has worked with the Academy for the last five years.
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Academy Committee
The committee is split into two groups to enable focus to be given to both the Under 16's and Under 21's. The committee members and their email addresses are:
Paul Stephenson (Academy co-ordinator)
Under 21 Division
Geoff Hickman (Under 21 Academy manager)
Tony Wilson (Under 21 Committee member)
Mark Carmichael
Under 16 Division
Michael Falk (Under 16 Academy manager)
Bruce Edgar (Under 16 Academy head Coach)
Peter Horwitz
Mark Carmichael
Aims of the Academy
The Gordon District Cricket Club Academy ('The Academy') was set up with the following mission statement:
'The Academy's aim is to focus on the development of Junior Players (Under 21) from within the Gordon district and beyond in order to maximize their potential development and performances in relation to cricket as well as assisting in their overall personal development.'
Benefits
By setting up an Academy we believe the following benefits will be achieved:
- Players with talent will have their development focused under the program and therefore potentially maximizing their development into first grade and potentially representative cricket.
- This will have a positive impact on club playing performance.
- Let the players know that the club is actively taking an interest in both their cricket and personal development.
- Create a culture from these players that will strengthen our club and assist in the retention of these players to the club.
- The Academy will be able to be used as a way of attracting players of this calibre to the club.
How the Academy operates
Academy members are accepted on an invitation basis from the Academy Management Committee. Players invited may be current members of our club or players identified as future club members. These may be players who are not in a position to play for the club at the present time e.g. school commitments, country etc.
The Academy is spilt into 2 main divisions, the Under 21 Division and the Under 16's .
The Gordon Cricket Academy is proudly sponsored by:
The reason for having two divisions is to recognise that a number of our members are still at school and as yet may not have developed their skills sufficiently to be invited into the Under 21 Division of the Academy. The Under 16's require different skill sets to the older boys and have their own program.
The Under 16 division will have a maximum of 30 members. Membership of all divisions is by invitation only. We encourage young cricketers to apply for a position within the Academy however membership is not automatically granted.
The Under 21 division of the group consists of invited players whom the committee believe have the potential at this stage of their development to become Gordon First grade players or higher.
Each player receives an individually tailored program designed to concentrate and accelerate their cricket education and will be judged on performance and potential, the latter being assessed in the five core areas of technical, tactical, physical, mental, and lifestyle capabilities of playing at the highest level. Performances will be judged in the context of winning cricket matches and not solely on weight of runs, wickets taken, or dismissals achieved.
This group has approximately 12 to 15 sessions during the season made up of individual coaching, communications sessions, team skill development and a weekend workshop session. The number of members will be limited to a maximum of 16. There will be a compulsory leaving age of 21.
Communication Sessions
Part of the mission of the Academy is to assist in the overall personal development of the members and to this end the Academy will run several 'communication' sessions, which will include well known cricket identities passing on their experiences within and outside cricket to help the players to identify the benefits to be gained from cricket as a team sport. The sessions also include health and fitness advice.
Application
An application for the Under 16 Academy Squad can be completed electronically by following the link below:
Members
The Gordon Cricket Academy will announce its Under 21 and 16 squads before the start of the 2010/11 season.
The first official session fitness workout is in July 2010.
A member list will be posted after the initial trial sessions during the pre-season sessions.
An application form for the Under 16 Academy squad can be completed electronically by following the link below:
Academy squads and schedule
Academy Squads named
The Gordon U21 and U19 Academy squads have been named for 2008-09. These players have an exciting program mapped out for them over the next season and they should certainly benefit from the expert coaching they will receive, as well as displaying their talents in a number of trial games.
(Emile Van Schalkwyk in action)
The Under 21 squad includes a couple of newcomers as well as two 'returnees' to Gordon. We welcome Peter Drysdale from New Zealand. Peter has represented Northern Districts (NZ) up to U19 level and is keen to experience Australian conditions. We also have yet another talented Central Coast player,Damien Way, joining the club and we wish him and Peter all the best for 2008-09.
Returning to the club after missing the whole of last year with a back injury is Emile Van Schalkwyk. 'Vandog' (that's how he signs off on his emails!) is raring to go after a very frustrating last season and we wish him every success in an injury-free season. We also look forward to Hamish Angus playing full time when he returns from his GAP year in England towards the end of the year. At present he's playing cricket in the same team as Julian Stephenson and I'm sure he'll have plenty of stories when he gets back.
It will also be good to see Robert Edwards, a very well performed young cricketer, playing this season, now that he has completed his school commitments.
This is a really talented bunch of young players. They are in this squad because the club considers them to be prospective First Grade players (four of them have already experienced the top grade) and so it is expected that they should be putting lots of pressure on the more established members of First Grade through the season.
The Under 19 squad contains players from our last two AW Green Shield teams. All these boys are still at school but we hope to see them perform well in the Academy games against local schools and also, in many cases, fill in at various times through the season. It is a very important opportunity for them to develop their skills before they begin their grade careers.
I'd like to wish all the Academy members the very best as they begin the season. Let's hope that by the end of 2008-09 we're all discussing the great achievements of many of them.
The schedule of Academy events can be downloaded from here ...Academy Schedule...
Under 21 Squad
- Hamish Angus
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Chris Archer
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Reece Bombas
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James Campbell
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Nick Cheadle
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Steve Colley
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Adam Cubbage
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Peter Drysdale
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Cameron Eccles
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Robert Edwards
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Harry Evans
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Matt Jones
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James Kennedy
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Blair Lindsay
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Dan Mahaffey
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Elliot Richtor
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Chad Soper
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Harry Turner
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Emile Van Schalkwyk
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Damien Way
Under 19 Squad
- Hugo Anderson
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Mark Anderson
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Ben Cannon
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Henry Carmichael
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Declan Jakrot
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Tom Lamont
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Tom Ledgerwood
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Sam Monk
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Michael O'Shea
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Alex Shaw
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Angus Sinclair
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Dan Lake
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Jono Wigham
Michael Falk
Program
The Academy program for the 2010/2011 season will be available to be downloaded here.
This program is subject to change however is a guide to the events planned for the coming season.
An application form for the Under 16 Academy squad can be completed electronically by following the link below:
Academy Program 2008/09
Academy Program 2008/09
Under 16 trials start on July 24 and Under 19 and 21 on August 3.
The Gordon Cricket Academy will launch its eighth year with the first trial session for the Under 16 squad on July 24 followed by and Under 21 and Under 19 net session on July 27.
The Gordon selectors have chosen the preliminary Under 21 and Under 19 squads for the season and now open applications from 12 to 15 year olds (Under 16 on September 1, 2008) to join the Under 16 Academy squad.
There will be 4 initial selection trials for the Under 16 squad in July and August and this will be followed by further sessions in September and then two games in October. At this time an A.W. Green Shield squad will be chosen from the Academy Under 16 members. The balance of the Under 16 squad not selected for the A.W. Green Shield will continue with their own specialist coaching sessions during the season.
The Academy therefore is opening invitations for prospective players to apply to attend the trials. A new feature this year is an online application form which can be accessed below. Once you 'send' this form it will go to the Under 16 co-ordinator for recording and for further notices re sessions etc.
Link to Under 16 Application Form.
The Academy this year will again include the coaching services of Steve Smith and Matthew Nicholson (after his return for the UK) and when available our new Test player Beau Casson will be able to give direction to our young spinners.
A draft of the pre-season (only) Academy sessions will be released soon via this website and to new applicants. This will be subject to change and sessions are confirmed to squad members via email or text message.
We look forward to receiving applications and the start of another new season for the Gordon Cricket Academy.
The Gordon Cricket Academy
Gordon Cricket Academy 2006/07
Gordon Cricket Academy
Starts 2006/7 season with new Under 16 Division
The Gordon Cricket Academy will launch its new season at the Club's AGM and presentation night with the announcement of a new Under 16 Division of the Academy. Due to the generosity of our major sponsor Inside Sport the Academy will be able to fund an additional level of coaching for our juniors.
The addition of the Under 16 division now means we can provide elite cricket and personal development skills to 13, 14 and 15 year olds to supplement the coaching they are getting through their school system.
It will provide a pathway for these players into Green Shield, Poidevin Gray and Grade Cricket at a time when they are developing their skills and is an opportunity to make sure our future Gordon players are on the right path from the beginning.
A squad of 13, 14 and 15 year olds Academy trialists will commence their skills training in August and the older ones will then form into the Green Shield Squad in October for this season's competition.
Very importantly at the same time the younger boys who may not make the Green Shield Squad this season and are considered capable of playing Green Shield and higher in their later years will be invited to remain with the Under 16 Division of the Academy and receive elite level coaching in conjunction with the Green Shield Squad throughout the summer.
We fully appreciate these boys will also have school and club commitments, however coaching sessions will be designed to allow them to attend as much as possible. Their school commitments will come first.
We therefore invite all 13, 14 and 15 year olds who believe they are capable cricketers (from any district or country area) to complete the attached form and mail, fax or scan and email it to the address listed on the form.
The Academy selectors will keep the boys appraised of their performance within the trials and let them know their prospects for remaining with the squad. Attendance at sessions does not constitute membership of the Academy.
This division will have 20 to 30 members and will receive the same high level of coaching as the older players.
We will also introduce these young players to meet our first grade squad and be part of a session involving these players. This will give them a connection to the goals and spirit of the club.
Under 18 and Under 21 Divisions
The Academy will of course continue its ongoing development of its Under 18 and Under 21 squads as per the following criteria.
Under 18 Development Squad
The reason for having the Under 18 Development Squad is to recognise that many young players from the district and country areas, who have mainly played in Green Shield or School representative teams from the previous season, as yet have not developed their skills sufficiently to be invited to join the Under 21 Division of the Academy. As well they are still at school and their time is difficult to manage with exams and school sports. These members are invited into the Under 18 Division where they receive the same level of coaching however not as frequently as the Under 21's.
This way they will get to understand the commitment required to reach the higher level and also to play as a team against representative teams of a higher standard. The Under 18's play a minimum of three matches during the season against other representative teams. The Under 18 division will have a maximum of 25 members.
Under 21 Division
The Under 21 division of the Academy consists of invited players whom the committee believe have the commitment, fitness and skill level to reach a First Grade standard in the next few years.
Each player will receive an individually tailored program designed to concentrate and accelerate their cricket education and will be judged on performance and potential, the latter being assessed in the five core areas of technical, tactical, physical, mental, and lifestyle capabilities of playing at the highest level.
Performances will be judged on a range of different factors including attitude, fitness and commitment and not solely on weight of runs, wickets taken, or dismissals achieved.
This group will have approximately 12 sessions during the season made up of individual coaching, communications sessions and team skill development. The number of members in the main will be limited to a maximum of 20. There will be a compulsory leaving age of 21.
The committee however are able to add extra players to the Under 21 squad from either outside or from the Under 18 squad if they are deemed suitable for the next level of commitment to their cricket.
Paul Stephenson
Director
Gordon Cricket Academy
Academy team for Shore
Under 18 Academy match vs ShoreOne of the goals of the Gordon Cricket Academy is to play as many games as we can under the "banner" of the Academy.
Last year we played a very succesfuil match at Macquarie University and we hope to play more there in the new year.
This season we are pleased to have been invited to play the Shore School First XI at Shore Oval.
We have also had a tradition of a senior player captaining the Academy side to assist them in their understanding of the finer points of the game. Previous captains have been Marty Reynolds and Richard Stobo. For this match Damon Livermore will captain the side. The Academy wishes to thank Reggie for his assistance and desire to help our younger players.
The following Academy team has been selected for the match on Tuesday 4th October 2005
1) Damon Livermore (c)
2) Mike McDermott
3) Blair Lindsay
4) Elliot Richtor
5) Matthew Jones,
6) Jack Rabone,
7) Chris Lee,
8) James Montano (w/k),
9) James Ellison
10) Adam Cubbage,
11) Tim Clifford,
12) Sam Ranney
The ground is Northbridge Shore Ground, at 10am (9am for players at the ground).
Any query, please ring Tony Wilson on 0409520118 or email twilson2@bigpond.com.
