Yorkshire Schools Cricket Association

YORKSHIRE SCHOOLS CRICKET ASSOCIATION

UNDER 14s ‘B’ REPORT 2014

Once again it has been a pleasure to be the Manager/Coach of the Yorkshire Schools Under 14s ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams. I feel it is a great advantage being the Manager/Coach for both the ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams as it enables me to observe first-hand the development of all the players in the U14s squad.

Adarsh Vani was given the opportunity to be Captain of the team. He is a very knowledgeable Captain and stuck to the task. I enjoyed working with Adarsh and congratulate him on a very successful season, both as the team Captain and personally. I know that he found the experience of being Captain enjoyable and rewarding. I am sure that he will have learnt much from the experience.

This year has been the third year for the U14s Scarborough Festival. This was an excellent experience for the boys. . I am a massive believer in ‘B’ team cricket. As seen in past seasons, many players have started in the ‘B’ squads and have progressed through the Yorkshire Academy and on to first team cricket. My biggest concern with some members of this squad was the quality of the fielding and general fitness. These qualities have got to improve if the individuals want to advance with their cricket. At Yorkshire we are constantly working towards the development of the player. We believe in keeping things simple and working on the basics in every discipline of the game. I hope that all the players have benefited from our work this season and will evaluate their own performances and keep working on their development.

Throughout this season the players have given their commitment to the County and their conduct on and off the field has been first class. My best wishes go to all the players and I hope they continue to enjoy the game of cricket.

I would like to say a massive thank you to all the parents/relatives/friends for their fantastic support and assistance throughout the season. I know that many of them take time off work and without them it would be extremely difficult to function.

A big thank you must go to Bren Terry. I have known Bren for 49 years. He has been a successful professional cricketer in the Bradford League for more years than he cares to remember and has a wealth of knowledge of the game. He is an experienced Coach and has been a Director of the Yorkshire Pathways to Excellence Scheme for 27 years. He has been able to pass on his knowledge of the game to the players. He has the respect of the players and his colleagues alike and I know that the players have benefited from his help and advice. It has been a great pleasure to have him working alongside me and I hope this continues for many years. Again, thank you Bren.

Many thanks must go to Poppleton & Appleby, John Featherstone Memorial Trust and The Friends of Yorkshire Schools for their sponsorship. Thanks also go to Gary Hebden and his colleagues for their commitment and professionalism shown whilst umpiring.

I would also like to thank Bernard Knowles, Harold Galley, Keith Dickson and Chris Hassell for their help and advice.

My final thanks must go to Jason Gillespie, Martyn Moxon, Ian Dews and Richard Damms for their support, advice and backing. Their help and advice at the winter nets and throughout the season were a great boost to the players.

Tony Pickersgill Manager/Coach Y.S.C.A. U14s September 2014

1 THE 2014 SQUAD

NAME SCHOOL CLUB

Adarsh VANI (Captain) Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield Methley CC

Ali-Hasan AHMED Woodhouse Grove School, Bradford Cullingworth CC

Mohsin AHMED High Storrs School, Sheffield Whitley Hall CC

Ben CLARE Rossett School, Harrogate Shadwell CC/Kirk Deighton CC

Kieran COLLINS Brighouse High School Hunslet Nelson CC

Harry CONTRERAS St Peters School, York Thorp Arch & Boston Spa CC

Toby GIDDINGS King James’ School, Knaresborough Spofforth CC/ Thorp Arch & Boston Spa CC

Akash GOPAL Beckfoot School, Bingley Oxenhope CC/Saltaire CC

Awaise HUSSAIN Tong High School, Bradford Pudsey Congs CC

Alex KENNEDY Whitcliffe Mount School, Cleckheaton Woodlands CC/Liversedge CC

Eitan LITVIN Grammar School at Leeds Kirkstall Education CC

Wahab MIRZA Samuel Lister Academy, Bingley Saltaire CC

Brandon SILVERWOOD Mirfield Free Grammar & 6th Form Liversedge CC

Harry SUTCLIFFE Huntingdon School, York Sheriff Hutton Bridge CC

Ed WATT Abbey Grange Academy, Leeds Adel CC

ALSO PLAYED

Jack BLEAZARD St John Fishers School, Dewsbury Cleckheaton CC

Alec DRURY Driffield School & 6th Form Driffield Town CC

Luke KILBY St. John Fisher Catholic High School, Harrogate . Thorp Arch & Boston Spa CC

Alex LEADBEATER Appleton Academy, Wyke, Bradford Spen Victoria CC

Nick LOWE Birkdale School, Sheffield Whitley Hall CC/Barnsley CC

Nathan SNOOKES Meadowhead School, Sheffield Eckington CC

Billy WHITFORD Bingley Grammar School Pudsey Congs CC

AVERAGES 2014

BATTING (Qualification – 10 Innings)

PLAYER INNS NO RUNS HS AV 50s 100s

LITVIN 15 6 446 81 49.56 5 0

BLEAZARD 16 1 485 98 32.33 4 0

VANI 15 1 426 93 30.43 2 0

MIRZA 14 5 268 76 29.78 2 0

HUSSAIN 13 3 241 89 no 24.00 1 0

SILVERWOOD 12 3 168 34 18.67 0 0

Also Batted:

AHMED, Ali-Hasan 11no 1 1no AHMED, Mohsin 2no 1 0 CLARE 17 4no COLLINS 6 3no 13 5no CONTRERAS 20 38 37 54 10 DRURY 14 2 1 GIDDINGS 25 0 26 4 0 GOPAL 3no 4 2no 3no 4 6 KENNEDY 2no KILBY 5 LEADBEATER 7 LOWE 3 27 12 4 30 15 SNOOKES 23 14 28 53 27 21 41 36 SUTCLIFFE 29 20 33 11 24 3 TEAR 46 6 WATT 1 0 32 7 0 12no 0 18 WHITFORD 1 37 20 80 50 5 13 33no

3 AVERAGES 2014

BOWLING (Qualification - 9 Wickets)

PLAYER OVERS M RUNS W AV

CLARE 72 12 241 22 10.95

AHMED, Ali-Hasan 100 18 207 17 12.18

BLEAZARD 31 2 123 9 13.67

SILVERWOOD 66 7 168 12 14.00

VANI 87 13 366 25 14.64

COLLINS 45 1 196 10 19.06

MIRZA 101 10 304 15 20.27

KENNEDY 86 15 252 11 22.90

GOPAL 81 13 247 10 24.70

Also Bowled:

AHMED, Mohsin 42 5 122 5 DRURY 16 4 64 0 GIDDINGS 17 1 59 0 HUSSAIN 11 2 30 0 LEADBEATER 28 6 94 3 SNOOKES 10 0 61 4 SUTCLIFFE 23 3 77 6

4 INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES 2014

BATTING

Jack BLEAZARD 98 versus Lancashire Adarsh VANI 93 versus East Yorkshire Awaise HUSSAIN 89 not out versus Cleveland Jack BLEAZARD 86 not out versus Halifax Eitan LITVIN 81 versus North Yorkshire Billy WHITFORD 80 versus Lincolnshire Wahab MIRZA 76 versus Hertfordshire Eitan LITVIN 74 versus Durham Eitan LITVIN 62 not out versus South Yorkshire Jack BLEAZARD 60 versus Cleveland Jack BLEAZARD 60 versus Silcoates Eitan LITVIN 59 not out versus Halifax Wahab MIRZA 59 versus Cleveland Eitan LITVIN 55 versus Lancashire Adarsh VANI 54 not out versus North Yorkshire Harry CONTRERAS 54 versus Barmy Army Nathan SNOOKES 53 versus Cleveland Billy WHITFORD 50 versus Cleveland

BOWLING

Ben CLARE 6-18 versus Hertfordshire Adarsh VANI 6-38 versus Durham Brandon SILVERWOOD 4-9 versus Silcoates Ali-Hasan AHMED 4-12 versus Cleveland Ali-Hasan AHMED 4-15 versus Lancashire Ben CLARE 4-24 versus Barmy Army Jack BLEAZARD 3-6 versus Silcoates Ben CLARE 3-8 versus Cleveland Mohsin AHMED 3-13 versus Cleveland Alex KENNEDY 3-15 versus Cleveland Kieran COLLINS 3-20 versus Northumberland Ali-Hasan AHMED 3-21 versus Halifax Ben Clare 3-21 versus North Yorkshire Adarsh VANI 3-23 versus Cleveland Alex KENNEDY 3-24 versus Lincolnshire Adarsh VANI 3-31 versus Northumberland Kieran COLLINS 3-33 versus Halifax Adarsh VANI 3-43 versus Lincolnshire

WICKET KEEPING

Eitan LITVIN 22 caught; 10 stumped

5 MATCH RESULTS 2014 v Halifax Academy at Copley C.C. on Tuesday 27th May 2014 CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER

v East Yorkshire at Driffield C.C. on Sunday 1st June 2014 Yorkshire 204-7 (Vani 93, Giddings 25 no, Sutcliffe 29) East Yorkshire 153 all out (Silverwood 2-20) WON

v Lancashire at Littleborough C.C. on Wednesday 11th June 2014 Yorkshire 147-8 (Contreras 35, Hussain 29, Sutcliffe 20) Lancashire 148-8 (Ali-Hasan Ahmed 4-15, Sutcliffe 2-29) LOST

v Silcoates School at Silcoates School on Wednesday 18th June 2014 Yorkshire 165 all out (Bleazard 60, Sutcliffe 33, Silverwood 28) Silcoates School 51 all out (Silverwood 4-9 incl. hat trick, Bleazard 3-6, Kennedy 2-9) WON

v North Yorkshire at Bedale C.C. on Monday 23rd June 2014 Yorkshire 171-8 (Vani 42, Watt, 32, Bleazard 31, Mirza 25 no) North Yorkshire 165-7 (Mirza 2-21, Bleazard 2-28, Gopal 2-29) WON

v Huddersfield District U15s at Denby Dale C.C. on Thursday 26th June 2014 Yorkshire 204-7 (Vani 46, Contreras 37, Bleazard 32, Silverwood 29 no) Huddersfield District U15s 207-1 LOST

v North Yorkshire at Sheriff Hutton Bridge C.C. on Monday 30th June 2014 North Yorkshire 125 all out (Clare 3-21, Mirza 2-10, Gopal 2-36) Yorkshire 129-6 (Vani 54 no, Bleazard 30, Snookes 23) WON

v Cleveland at Richmondshire C.C. on Wednesday 2nd July 2014 Yorkshire 277-5 (Hussain 89 no, Vani 46, Tear 46, Whitford 37) Cleveland 106 all out (Kennedy 3-15, Vani 2-7, Mirza 2-12) WON

6 v Barmy Army at Hammerwich C.C. on Sunday 6th July 2014 Yorkshire 214-7 (Contreras 54, Hussain 38, Silverwood 22, Whitford 20) Barmy Army 171-9 (Clare 4-24, Vani 2-31) WON

v Lincolnshire at Sheriff Hutton Bridge C.C. on 9th July 2014 Yorkshire 187-5 (Whitford 80, Hussain 28, Sutcliffe 24) Lincolnshire 173-9 (Kennedy 3-24, Vani 3-43) WON

v Cleveland at Middlesbrough C.C. on Monday 21st July 2014 Yorkshire 204-6 (Mirza 59, Whitford 50, Giddings 26 no) Cleveland 82 all out (Ali-Hasan Ahmed 4-12, Vani 3-23, Gopal 2-7) WON

v Halifax Academy at Stainland C.C. on Tuesday 22nd July 2014 Halifax Academy 159-8 (Ali-Hasan Ahmed 3-21, Collins, 3-33) Yorkshire 160-0 (Bleazard 86 no, Litvin 59) WON

v Lancashire at Ossett C.C. on Thursday 24th July 2014 Lancashire 200-7 (Kennedy 2-19, Snookes 2-25) Yorkshire 201-4 (Bleazard 98, Litvin 55) WON

SCARBOROUGH FESTIVAL v Durham at Flixton C.C. on Monday 28th July 2014 Durham 148 all out (Vani 6-38, Ali-Hasan Ahmed 2-19) Yorkshire 149-6 (Litvin 74, Snookes 28) WON

v Cleveland at Snainton C.C. on Tuesday 29th July 2014 Yorkshire 237-8 (Bleazard 60, Snookes 53, Lowe 27) Cleveland 47 all out (Clare 3-8, Mohsin Ahmed 3-13) WON

v Northumberland at Scarborough College on Wednesday 30th July 2014 Yorkshire 161-9 (Vani 41, Snookes 27, Litvin 24) Northumberland 132 all out (Collins 3-20, Vani 3-31, Mirza 2-10) WON

7 v North Yorkshire at Flixton C.C. on Thursday 31st July 2014 Yorkshire 187-4 (Litvin 81, Vani 40, Snookes 24) North Yorkshire 189-6 (Ali-Hasan Ahmed 2-22, Bleazard 2-22, Vani 2-27) LOST

v Cheshire at Scarborough C.C. on Friday 1st August 2014 Cheshire 198-5 (Mirza 2-21) Yorkshire 160-7 (Mirza 42 no, Snookes 41) DRAW – RAIN AFFECTED

v Hertfordshire at Hammerwich C.C. on Monday 4th August 2014 Hertfordshire 182-9 (Clare 6-18) Yorkshire 179-8 (Mirza 76 no, Snookes 36) LOST

v East Yorkshire at Hymers College on Wednesday 13th August 2014 Yorkshire 108-7 (Litvin 33, Lowe 30) ABANDONED DUE TO RAIN

8 PLAYERS REPORTS 2014

ADARSH VANI (Captain)

Adarsh captained the side well. He has good knowledge of the game and had the respect of his team mates. On a personal note, Adarsh has had a very successful season, claiming 25 wickets with his leg-spin and scoring over 400 runs. He is developing into a fine all-rounder. He played so competently in the ‘B’ team that he was promoted to the ‘A’ team. He is fully aware of the aspects of his game that he needs to work on, which are his fitness, his running between the wickets, judging a run and manipulating the ball around. Adarsh needs to show more intent when batting. With his leg-spin he needs to create more revs on the ball and generate energy forward and to work on a variation ball.

ALI-HASAN AHMED

Ali has had a very positive season with his left arm spin. He also was promoted to the ‘A’ team due to some good performances in the ‘B’ team. He needs to work on creating more action on the ball. His pace was a massive improvement on the previous year. Ali is very knowledgeable about his cricket. His tactical and technical awareness are excellent. He is hungry to push forward in his career. He needs to work on not letting his head drive through in the follow-through. Ideally although your arms drive through your upper body does not. He needs to keep tall and strong in delivery and look for more snap in the action. Ali needs to show more intent when batting. The experience he has gained from this season will put him in good stead for the future.

MOHSIN AHMED

Mohsin is a left arm pace bowler. He works really hard at his game but unfortunately he only took 5 wickets this season and I am sure his confidence will be low. He needs to attack the stumps more and work on standing taller at the crease. His point of release is past the vertical. This puts extra stress on his lower back. He is a competent fielder with a strong throw.

BEN CLARE

Ben has had an excellent season for his first year at this level. He bowls with inner aggression and good pace. His attitude is first class. Ben has won the bowling prize with 22 wickets at 10.95. He bowls a good out-swinger. He needs a variation ball to move up a notch. The areas he needs to work on are making his approach to the wicket more smooth and rhythmic and driving his right knee through at the target. I am certain that he will work hard on these points over the winter. Ben can certainly hold a bat but needs to play with more intent. Fielding is the weakest of the 3 disciplines. Technical work is needed on his throwing and catching.

KIERAN COLLINS

This has been Kieran’s first season at County level. I know that he has thoroughly enjoyed the experience. He bowls right arm medium-pace with a low maintenance action. He started off nervously but gradually his confidence grew and he had some good bowling performances. Even though he didn’t take a great number of wickets he was economical. He is a more than useful fielder with a good throw and a safe pair of hands and I am sure that this season was a good learning curve for him.

9 HARRY CONTRERAS

Harry is a competent opening batter. He grew in stature as the season progressed. He had limited opportunities. Harry had several outstanding innings. He was promoted to the ‘A’ team after good performances with the ‘B’ team. He is a laid back character and a popular member of the squad. He needs to work on rotating the strike and manipulating the ball. He plays the new ball well and has a good shot selection. Areas that Harry needs to work on are his weight transfer and judging length. Harry is an excellent fielder.

TOBY GIDDINGS

Toby has had limited opportunities due to injury. He is potentially a more than useful right arm pace bowler. He has a tendency to push the ball down the leg-side far too often. He needs work on consistency, line and length to achieve better results. His work ethic is exemplary and I know he is working with Steve Oldham, ex Yorkshire bowling coach. Toby’s keenness to do well perhaps affected his progression. There are positives to be taken regards Toby’s batting. It is progressing nicely, he has had some 20s and 30s.

AKASH GOPAL

Akash showed himself to be a loyal member of the side. He will be the first to admit that he was not as successful as he would have liked. He was a popular member of the squad. Akash lacked consistency and concentration. On his day he is a very potent left-arm quick bowler. He did not get a lot of opportunities to show his batting skills. When fielding he lacks concentration. With his bowling he needs to work on keeping straight lines and having a braced front leg at the point of release and in his follow-through direct momentum more towards the target.

AWAISE HUSSAIN

Awaise has had a disappointing season for him. During the winter his batting in the indoor nets was exceptional. He finds it difficult to transfer his indoor form to the outside. One of the reasons for this is that he likes the ball to come on, he can then use the pace of the ball to score runs. He is a very wristy batsman. There is much needed work required on his general fitness and his tactical awareness of manipulating the ball. He needs to show more intent. I have explained the need for him to work on his general fielding, particularly his throwing.

ALEX KENNEDY

Alex is a very popular member of the squad. He certainly gives the ball a big rip and on his day he is a test for all batsmen. Unfortunately we need more consistency from him. He is fully aware of what is needed regards his bowling action. His action is not helping his consistency. He needs to strip his action down, remodel it and keep it simple. His willingness to work is second to none. He has already started to work on all aspects of his game. Alex lacks confidence in himself. This season Alex has had a problem with running on to the danger area. This is linked to his inconsistent action and feet alignment. Alex also needs to work on his fielding, particularly his throwing.

10 EITAN LITVIN

Eitan started the season batting low down in the order. We moved him up to opening after several games. This showed an amazing transformation in his game. He played so well that he was promoted to the ‘A’ team where he continued his good form. To keep wicket and to open the batting takes a lot of effort and character, Eitan slips into this role well. Eitan plays exceptionally well square of the wicket on both sides. His running between the wickets is excellent but work is needed to manipulate the ball past fielders. Eitan has a slight problem with left arm over bowlers, he tends to leave his leg stump exposed. I am sure that Eitan will strive throughout the winter to eradicate this issue.

WAHAB MIRZA

Wahab has had a very consistent season. His 15 wickets at 20 and a batting average of just under 30 is an excellent performance. He is now becoming a formidable all-rounder. He is a medium pace opening bowler and a right hand attacking batter. With his bowling he has a problem with no balls, with his back foot going over the return crease. He needs to get closer to the stumps and drive his energy more towards the target. We have worked with Wahab over the winter trying to have his front foot contact more aligned to the target and not pointing to mid-wicket. This causes him to be lacking in consistency. With his batting he does have a tendency to go too hard at the ball. Over the winter he also needs to work on hitting the gaps.

BRANDON SILVERWOOD

Brandon is becoming a useful all-rounder. I feel there is more to come from him. Unfortunately, due to an injury, he has only bowled a limited amount of overs but he still had 12 wickets at an average of 14. Over the winter Brandon needs to work on his crossover, falling away at delivery and keeping tall and strong at the crease. He is a left handed aggressive batsman. He gives his wicket away easily which is disappointing. He gets a start and then gives it away. Brandon needs to work on building an innings and keeping it simple looking for the ones and the twos. The boundaries will look after themselves. His general fielding is good but work is needed on his technical throwing.

HARRY SUTCLIFFE

This is Harry’s first year representing the County and he should feel very pleased with himself. He is extremely enthusiastic and always gives 100% on each of the disciplines. Harry has had an injury that has affected his game throughout the season. When asked to bowl he has conducted himself excellently. His line and length have been outstanding. His 6 wickets at just over 12 prove that. Over the winter Harry needs to work on trying to alleviate lateral flexion (sideways bending). Lateral flexion causes extra stress on the lower back. He also needs to work on a variation ball. I am sure, when his injury subsides, these points can be addressed. Harry’s batting throughout the season has improved and he has scored 20s and 30s consistently in virtually all his games but he needs to go on from this. One of his main issues is he tends to sit back in the shot and play with a braced front leg. He needs to transfer his weight into the shot. His general fielding and throwing are good.

EDWARD WATT

Ed is a strong middle order batter. He likes to hit the ball but his shot selection has been his downfall. There is a general lack of concentration with his batting and his fielding. There are several areas with these disciplines that he needs to work on particularly in his set up (needs to create a stable and balanced base). He is moving at the point of release and he needs to be still. There is a lack of consistency with his general fielding. I am sure, over the winter, he will work hard on these issues. Ed has the potential if he is prepared to work.