As an organisation, we are involved in searching for talent as well as supporting the development of talent. We offer Talent I D in the form of observation by experienced Professionals.
An early focus (in 2005) for us at London County was our Search 4 a Star Programme which was aimed at identifying and developing ‘talented and undiscovered cricketers’, aged between 15 and 24, who for whatever reason found themselves outside the ECB 18 County professional system. Our programme was designed to bridge the very best ‘undiscovered’ talent into the professional game and provide mentoring support to assist the journey of those players who displayed the necessary talent and desire to achieve in the professional game. In the case of Nick Ferraby, we helped to develop him after being released from professional cricket and facilitated his return to the professional arena where he played in the first team for Leicestershire in 2008. The following players have participated in our Programme:
Tim Linley (Sussex and Surrey); Gemaal Hussain (Gloucestershire); Nick Ferraby (Leicestershire); Andrew Carter (Nottinghamshire); Sachin Vaja (Essex); Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire); Adrian Shankar (Lancashire); David Burton (Middlesex); Max Osbourne (Essex).
The cost of the Search 4 Stars Programme was met by sponsorship initially and it is our intention to expand the opportunity to identify young leaders for Cricket, as well as emerging batsmen and bowlers, if and when future funding becomes available.
In terms of Cricket activity, our Development XI was fed by our Search 4 a Star Programme. With the subsequent increase in ECB Talent Development for 14 to 19 year olds at all of the 18 First-Class Counties and Minor Counties Cricket Board with County Academies and Emerging Player Programmes (EPP), we have decided to focus on developing London County Colts as a Pilot Programme in 2010 for players under the age of 13 (on August 31st the previous year).
We believe that there is untapped talent in the less advantaged communities both in England and around the world. With increased funding to support the Talent I D Programmes we have been successful with previously, we would like to shine our torch in some of the darker places which we believe could produce a rich mine of undiscovered talent with a strong desire to explore the possibility of excelling at Cricket.
The by-product of our Talent I D Events and Programme is that the opportunity is available to everyone who is prepared to register and make the effort to attend. The experience of having to perform in front of experienced professional cricket people takes some courage and adds to the individual’s personal growth. Additionally, every participant is given some feedback on their performance and has the opportunity to go away and work with this information to support their development over time. Whilst our intention is to discover the best talent, we are also conscious of the importance of being inclusive and ensuring the Talent I D Event s are as meaningful as possible for every individual involved.
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