A BOLTON cricket club have launched a new venture hoping other teams will follow suit to try to develop the next generation of first-team and county players Bradshaw CC held their first open night for their cricket academy which has 15 club juniors who have been identified by the Rigby’s side as talented players.

It will help the players improve their game with in-depth coaching from Paul Tebay and Amal Dalugoda working on the cricket side, while Matty Dewhurst will be the fitness coach and Bradley Yates is giving hints and tips to the wicketkeepers.

Club chairman Steve Dickinson believes it is an exciting project.

He said: “We have highlighted, over the a number of years, that we have a fantastic junior set-up commended by the likes of Bobby Denning, chairman of Lancashire Cricket Board, and Chris Highton the development coach for the Bolton area.

“We have been analysing it for 18 months what we need to do and thought if we can identify some of our talent and then give them one-to-one coaching and develop them as players then the academy could bring future Lancashire and first-team cricketers.

“Paul and Amal are very respected coaches and we feel they can get best out of the players and help them kick on.

“Meanwhile Matty has been involved with Bolton Wanderers and Stockport and he is working on eating plans. They will be constantly reviewed on their performance each week.

“We are very lucky that YESS Electrical wholesalers have sponsored the academy for three years and the project would not have got off the ground without them.”

Dickinson admits they have high hopes for the players coming through the ranks.

He said: “We hope it will set the standard for other clubs in the area to do something similar.

“We hope to be creating future first-teamers and also they will be better players who may even go on to being Lancashire cricketers in the next few years.”

ACADEMY: Elliot Dargan, Thomas DeGleder, Ross Dickinson, James McDowell, Marcus Haslam, Ryan Garner, Jack Kelly, Jamie Legg, George Booth, Luke Davenport, Luke Needham, Lewis King, Daisy Mullan, Cian Dickinson and Daniel Morris.