Cricket goes from strength to strength at Queen Ethelburga’s with the school achieving a place in The Cricketer Magazine Schools Guide for 2024 as one of the Top 100 Senior Schools in the UK for Cricket.
As part of the physical education (PE) curriculum at Queen Ethelburga’s, cricket is the main summer sport for boys and girls, with the Collegiate fielding 15 teams across all age groups. During the winter months, students of all abilities can compete in the Indoor Premier League (IPL) House Cricket.
Our girls’ cricket provision also continues to rise with girls competing in both softball and hardball fixtures.
In 2023, girls from Years 7 and 9 welcomed North Diamond players, Phoebe Turner and Jess Woolston to deliver a cricket session in PE.
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For students in King’s Magna and Chapter House, we host the annual QE Kwik Cricket Outreach Event, a friendly competition against local primary schools. King’s Magna students can also participate in the U11 Junior Cricket Festival for local clubs to help grow the game in the local community.
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Individual Success
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Performance Sports Programme (PSP)
As part of the Performance Sports Programme (PSP) for Cricket, each student follows a personalised learning syllabus to maximise both their sporting and physical development under the direction of specialist staff.
Ben Gibbons is Queen Ethelburga’s Lead Cricket Coach. He is a holder of the ECB Level 3 Advanced Coach Qualification, and he currently works outside of school as a Pool Coach for Yorkshire CCC U16s, Head Coach of Cleveland Schools’ Cricket Association U15s and the Northern Regional Manager for the MCC Foundation.
Each cricketer on the PSP programme has an Individual Learning Plan based on their performance profile from the previous season. Video footage is provided for all players in their main discipline (batting, bowling, fielding and/or wicketkeeping) with the assistance of Fulltrack AI technology and match footage from Frogbox.
Within a Senior student’s timetable, a pupil on the Cricket PSP will have seven sessions per week, just like any academic subject – two of which are strength and conditioning, which our Strength and Conditioning coaches lead. Additional before-school, lunchtimes, and after-school sessions include ‘1-1 sessions’, a specialist ‘Keepers Club’ for wicketkeepers, and a Fast Bowling Clinic.
There is also a focus on holistic development in terms of technical, tactical (scenario-based learning), mental (working alongside Opening Up Cricket) and lifestyle/nutritional development. Senior Students attained the ECB Support Coach Qualification in 2023 to develop their leadership skills and support the Chapter House and King’s Magna sessions.
All students accepted into the PSP Programme have access to Physiotherapy and Massage appointments. During their competitive season, students can access the swimming pool and ice baths for recovery.
Facilities
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Our purpose-built, floodlit cricket ground, with six grass wickets and one artificial wicket, allows the cricket season to be extended with fixtures scheduled from early April to late September each year. A second square on our back field offers even more opportunity for students to play, alongside our Flicx Wicket for softball fixtures and is available to our younger age groups. In addition, the school benefits from a six-lane outdoor net facility, which includes four AstroTurf wickets and two grass wickets. Yorkshire CCC County Age Group Squads have used our Outdoor Nets and main cricket square for training sessions in 2022 and 2023. Our outdoor facilities are complemented by indoor cricket nets, which provide two lanes for all year-round cricket coaching and the use of a Bola Bowling Machine. This facility is part of a Triple Court Sports Hall, accommodating an extended approach for fast bowlers throughout the Winter. |
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Teams and Competitions
Our 1st Team competes in the National Schools T20, the AOC T20 Cricket League and the end of season Emeriti Schools’ T20 Cricket Festival. Throughout the season, more traditional formats are played on a Sunday against teams such as the MCC, The Forty Club and the Yorkshire Gentlemen’s CC alongside university and county/minor county opposition such as Yorkshire, Northumberland, Lincolnshire, Cumbria, and Cleveland Schools’ Cricket Association.
In 2023, the 1st Team were victorious in the U18 Yorkshire & North East Regional Plate, and they were also the Emeriti Schools’ T20 Cricket Festival winners.
Our younger students compete in the following competitions:
- ISA North Kwik Cricket Festival
- North Yorkshire Cups – The Adrian Grayson U14 Boys Trophy, The Dennis Richards U12 Boys Trophy & The Lauren Winfield-Hill U14 Girls Trophy
- Yorkshire Schools Cricket Association Cups – U12 David English Bunbury Cup (Boys), U14 InspireSport Yorkshire Trophy (Boys), U15 Yorkshire T20 Trophy (Boys), Patsy Akroyd Trophy (U13 Girls) & Mollie Staines Trophy (U15 Girls)
- The Cricket Paper National Schools Boys U17 Cup
- The Cricket Paper National Girls U15 100 Ball Cup
- During the Winter, our U13 & U15 Girls Teams compete in the North Yorkshire Indoor Finals
