Dear Head / Head of PE

12th September 2016

Dear Head / Head of PE,

The Marylebone Cricket Club Foundation (MCCF) would like to invite your school to take part in our cricket-coaching programme for exceptional young athletes from state schools within the Nottingham City area. All coaching is provided free of charge and is funded by generous donors - private individuals and grant-making charities - who wish to ensure that state- educated pupils are offered the same opportunities to play cricket to a high standard as their peers in independent schools.

To explain the initiative: In 2011 the MCCF launched a coaching programme to address the decline of talented children from state schools progressing into club cricket and representing county sides. This decline is completely reflected in the make-up of the England cricket team, 65% of whom come from the independent schooling sector, despite this educating only 7% of the population.

The Foundation identifies children who have the ability to become good cricketers and provides them with mentoring and high-quality coaching. The MCCF Hub programme now supports 40 Hub programmes nationally and, in 2016, engaged with over 1000 participants, many of whom progressed to district and county sides, as well as becoming valued and enthusiastic members of their local cricket clubs.

2016 was an extremely successful opening year for the MCCF Nottingham Hub, with a total of 40 participants (20 at U13 and 20 at U15) benefiting from a professional coaching programme throughout the spring months, followed by competitive fixtures representing the Nottingham Hub throughout the cricket season that followed. After receiving such coaching in the spring, a number of the Nottingham Hub players were then successful in gaining places in the Nottinghamshire Sub-County squads for the first time.

The Foundation will be holding trials for the 2017 Nottingham Hub, suitable for talented Under 13 (Current Year 7 & 8 at School) & Under 15 (Current Year 9 and 10 at School) participants, the details of which are as follows:

Dates: Sunday 27th November & Sunday 11th December 2016 Times: U13s: 1pm-3pm and U15s: 4.00pm-6.00pm.

The trials will be followed by ten weeks of structured coaching for those children selected; these sessions will also take place on Sundays at the same times, on the following dates:

January 15, 22, 29 February 5, 12, 19, 26 March 5, 12, 19 Venue: Nottingham High School, Waverley Mount, Nottingham, NG7 4ED. Access: Via school gate on Forest Road East, park on school yard (session in the sports hall).

Experienced ECB Level 3 coaches who currently also work for Nottingham High School, Nottinghamshire Cricket Board and local cricket clubs will lead the programme.

All participants who attend the MCCF Hub programme will be carefully monitored and supported throughout their time on the programme, and will be given opportunities to develop their skills and hopefully progress to the County Pathways Programme.

Opportunities to play matches against other MCC Foundation Hubs and some local opposition will also be offered so that tactical, mental and game-sense is developed during the season itself.

To register those children whom you believe would benefit from this opportunity, I would be grateful if you would complete the nomination form and send it back to me as soon as possible, but no later than Friday 28 October 2016. Please note that the interest for a place on this Hub programme will be extremely high, so please be prompt with your responses. Nomination forms need to be completed in full, including contact details so that one of our team can contact parents of nominees to confirm their child’s attendance at the trial sessions, answering any queries that they may have.

Please note that this programme is open to both boys and girls. However, any girls attending must be willing to take part alongside the boys as there is no separate programme for girls.

Also, those who represented Nottinghamshire at Sub-County or County Age Group level in 2016 are not eligible for the MCCF Hub 2017 as this programme aims to target and develop middle tier cricketers towards such representation that they have not had previously.

For any further questions please do not hesitate to get in touch (contact details listed below), otherwise I look forward to receiving nominations from you in the very near future.

Email correspondence is preferred, at least initially, as this is easy for most and will prevent frustrations of not being able to get hold of me on the telephone whilst I am teaching at School.

Yours sincerely,

M Baker

Mark Baker Director of Cricket and MCCF Nottingham Hub Manager Nottingham High School Waverley Mount Nottingham NG7 4ED

0115 9786056 (school) 0772 3616329 (mobile) [email protected] MCCF HUB NOTTINGHAM 2017– NOMINATION FORM

SCHOOL NAME:

NOMINATIONS (UNDER 13 – YEAR 7 & 8):

NAME DOB CLUB (IF APPLICABLE) CONTACT DETAILS

NOMINATIONS (UNDER 15 – YEAR 9 & 10):

NAME DOB CLUB (IF APPLICABLE) CONTACT DETAILS

Please note that any player who played in the Nottinghamshire County Age Group squad or Sub-County Squad in 2016 is not applicable for this programme. The aim of the MCCF Hub is to offer excellent coaching and development opportunities to those who do not already have access to such coaching within the County Player Pathways.

Please return this form (by post or email) to me as soon as possible, but no later than Friday 28 October 2016. Please note that the interest for a place on this Hub programme will be extremely high. For any further questions please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Baker Director of Cricket & MCCF Nottingham Hub Manager Nottingham High School Waverley Mount Nottingham NG7 4ED 0115 9786056 (school) 0772 3616329 (mobile) [email protected]