Tom Talks Junior Cricket Coaching Podcast
Tom Jones 175 episodes Nov 6, 2026
This podcast focuses on Junior Cricket Coaching, featuring guests from grassroots clubs, schools, district and county age group cricket. It covers topics such as coaching specific age groups, boys' and girls' cricket, batting, bowling, keeping, leadership, psychology, and parental involvement. The show aims to develop the next generation of young cricketers.
Episodes
Episode 192 with Daniel Lycett on how an interest in solving puzzles drew him towards the world of coaching and education
This episode will get your attention if you enjoy learning about coaching:
Daniel talks about WayFinding, developing the right Culture in your environment, and developing an enjoyment of Movement.
Overall what Daniel makes clear is the fact that he maintains a strong belief that as a coach we should believe in the children we coach more and in doing so allow them to be the ones who find solution
Episode 191 with Monali Patel on how cricket shaped her and her career as a coach educator and developer for ICC in Canada
Aged fifteen it looked like cricket was turning its back on Monali only for an opportunity to arise out of the blue and from that moment onwards she has not looked back.
Now in 2026 cricket is Monali's full time career in which she wears a number of hats including coach development and education in Canada.
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Episode 190 with Rob Jones on how his career as a pro cricketer has led to him wanting to give back to the game as a coach
Rob grew up with cricket from a very young age as far back as 3-4 years old taking a red cricket bat on holiday with his parents to Wales.
Aged 10 he wrote on an A4 piece of paper that he wanted to become a pro cricketer and stuck it up on his wall.
Aged 18 he played in the U19 world cup with England and two years later he received his first cap for Lancs.
However by his own admission he never
Episode 189 with Marc Ellison on how a chat with another coach led Marc to finding a way to help others in the cricket club he was playing at in a better place
Marc first experienced coaching when he was appointed as the overseas pro aged 22 at Radcliffe CC in Notts coming over from New Zealand. He had been challenged to find a way to leave the club in a better place by his mentor at the time Mike Shrimpton and this is how he got involved with coaching others.
He now focuses his time more specifically around helping players with the mental side of the g
Episode 188 with Neil Dutton on how the importance of a junior cricket coach being captain of the club fourth team helps with junior successioning into senior cricket
Neil was a late starter to cricket but is now one of those individuals in club cricket who never sees a day go past when he is not down at the club in some capacity.
He manages and coaches the U15s, is captain of the fourth team and is also Dad to two daughters who play U11 and U13 cricket respectively.
In this episode Neil explains the importance of his role as captain in helping juniors step i
Episode 187 with Mariyaam Mirza on how a promising pursuit of tennis led to playing and coaching cricket....
Mariyaam grew up in Lahore where she enjoyed tennis and horse riding. She played gully cricket too but it wasnt until she came to the UK that she started playing club cricket and subsequently started coaching. She now coaches women and girls cricket and absolutely loves it.
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Episode 186 with Matt Bremner on how playing led to coaching and how coaching led to founding NetCaptain
Matt played prem cricket in Victoria and then found coaching as a calling. He is now Head Coach of Fitzroy Doncaster CC who play prem cricket in Victoria and is also the co-founder of NetCaptain which is an app that sorts out all the management and administration and comms for coaches.
As a coach Matt believes massively in giving players autonomy and allowing them to explore things for themselves
Episode 185 with Ollie Patmore on how much he loves coaching cricket at school, club and with his girlfriend
Ollie is a PE teacher who loves sport. Cricket is a real passion for him and he sees his coaching as a means to give back to the game that has given him so much.
His coaching approach is one that believes in not over coaching but allowing players to feel good about themselves and to always focus on the next ball more than the last one!
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Episode 184 with Nicolas Whitelaw on how coaching has given him a different perspective on the game he has loved playing since the age of 6
Nicolas has played to a very high standard of cricket in South Africa (all the way to the SA Lions standard) and still plays Prem cricket now.
He started coaching aged just 18 in a school and today coaching is his full time vocation since founding Top Gun Cricket Academy. His coaching philosophy is all about helping players foster a real love for the game and keep learning.
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Episode 183 with Shaun Brown on how forty years of coaching has continued to fill him with passion for his craft
Shaun says coaching is not about qualifications: its about the positive difference you make with players and I would agree with him.
Shaun has been making a positive difference for over 40 years. Based in Melbourne, Australia where most of his coaching programmes and camps are located but taking tours to New Zealand, India and England Shaun has a wide programme offer which helps develop hundreds
Episode 182 with Nik Badkundri on how he is aiming to make the mental side of cricket accessible to any player or coach or parent
Nik grew up in India playing cricket like most kids and now lives in Australia practising as a mental performance coach for cricketers, their coaches and parents.
He frames his approach within 4 principle concepts of:
1. Understanding internal pressure
2. Understanding the flow/zone when Skill meets Challenge
3. Understanding the fears that players have
4. Understanding the triggers that pre-
Episode 181 with Shaun Siegert on how three coaching principles defines how he coaches
Shaun has been coaching top players from around the globe for over two decades including the likes of Joe Root. In that time he has based his approach on stripping things back to basics and looking for a pplayer's stickability.
Over time he has created a coaching philosophy that focuses on three key principles:
1. Make players uncomfortable
2. Find a Way
3. Develop the person
Shaun is also a
Episode 180 with Patrick William-Powlett on how he got involved with South Shields CC and helped them grow their junior membership
Patrick did not get involved with cricket until the age of 28 when he was asked to help make up the numbers for a second eleven match. However he was immediately taken in by the club the people and the environment so much so that when he was appointed as club chair he made it his mission to grow the junior section and that is exactly what has happened.
By listening to this episode you will get to
Episode 179 with Johnny Roberts on how starting to play cricket for the first time aged 11 inspired him to get coaching by the age of 17 and start up his own coaching company aged just 21
Johnny is one of those coaches who just wants to make cricket accessible and affordable to everyone. Living in a part of the North East of England where affordability is one of the most significant drivers re participation in sport Johnny has made great strides in supporting individuals and families in getting into cricket.
For more info on what he does, where and when please check out www.jonn
Episode 178 with Seb Connor on his experience of setting up his own coaching business which is all about giving skills to youngsters to help them become better individuals
Seb started working with Kira Chathli at Surrey on the women and girls' pathway and has made it his mission to help coach in this area of the game and so founded Next Level Cricket Academy in Dulwich. He is now looking to create a model for week long coaching camps which he can take anywhere in the world.
His philosophy of "less is more" is central to his coaching approach alongside very specific
Episode 177 with Chris Morgan on the importance of successioning junior club cricketers into senior cricket as second eleven captain
Chris has been a player, coach, a scorer, a captain and now an umpire all at Ponteland CC in Northumberland.
Over time he has coached and supported many junior cricketers develop their game and move into senior cricket.
Today he is doing more umpiring and in this episode he share what he observes about the younger players in games he officiates.
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Episode 176 with Sam Heazlett on how being self aware from a young age has helped him play cricket professionally and forge a career as a coach too
Sam is by his own definition a reserved, quietly spoken and reflective individual but with strong motivation to get better as a person and a competitive determination to do as well as he can on and off the cricket field. He is also a fully qualified physio so has a number of roles within the game but the coaching is where he really thrives.
He has clearly worked out his values as a coach and stay
Episode 175 with Samara Afzal on how a supportive Father allowed her to continue playing cricket when others said it was not allowed
Samara remembers playing cricket with her brothers growing up with great pleasure but if it had not been for her supportive Dad she may never have played cricket again and therefore not got involved in coaching and other areas of the game.
She now is a coach of junior and women's cricket and is also a Trustee of Cricket Wales all this alongside her full time profession as a GP!
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Episode 174 with Andre Burger on how and why he set up Neuro Batting as a focus for his coaching in Australia
Andre originates from South Africa but has lived in Australia for a while where he played and has coached for a number of years. Over time he saw a gap in the market to set up what he calls the Neuro Batting Program and this is the main focus for this episode.
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Episode 173 with Darius and Daniel Joseph on how cricket has offered them so much in their lives already and how there is much more still to come
Darius and Daniel are 19 year old twin brothers from Barbados who have been brought up with cricket since the age of four. They have experienced schooling in the UK at Kings Bruton and Scarborough College and now are doing well in the coaching and playing arenas. Both have ambition to continue to improve themselves through the game and both have hunger to achieve but with slightly different approa
Episode 172 with Darryl Rebbetts on how a love of the game combined with a desire to help create opportunities for kids to enjoy sport through education has shaped Darryl's life
Darryl loves the team and individual dynamics of cricket and has played since he was 10 years old. After finishing University and going into PE teaching he has found how much he loves helping children of all abilities enjoy sport and cricket. He is a massive believer in volume practice and showing visual feedback to players as a coach.
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Episode 171 with Paddy Rathbone on how to create the right environment for the players you coach is so important
Paddy has built up a wealth of experience in and around junior cricket from his tenure as Chair of Percy Main CC and coach at South Northumberland CC. He is also the Father of two sporty sons one of whom absolutely loves his cricket so he has this dimension added to his cv as Dad!
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Episode 170 with Ian Reece how as a coach he prioritises building rapport with the players he coaches and also values the subject of feedback
Ian is a sports psych who is from and lives in Barbados. Ian is a passionate, caring cricket coach who focuses a lot on building the confidence in the athletes he supports.
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Episode 169 with Arsalan Khalid: how cricket became a safe haven and social hub for Arsalan in Ireland having moved there from Pakistan aged 19
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Episode 168 with Min Patel; how prioritising fielding with young players is a priority at Kent Cricket
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Episode 167 with Henry Thorpe on how he brings positive energy to every session he runs and in doing so helps deliver the best hour for a young cricketer each week
Despite loving the game of ricket from a very young age Henry didnt think he was great at it or anything else until he realised he was good with people.
He now really loves coaching with Surrey and with In Touch Cricket Academy from which he has developed his own philosophy for coaching:
1. Physical: transfer your weight as a batter staying strong and balanced
2. Meta physical: absorb every fai
Episode 166 with Faisal Shahid on how an authentically caring approach to helping others led to coaching finding him some time after taking a break from the game
Faisal worked his was through all the age groups with Worcestershire CCC and got a first year contract only then to find that nerves got the better of him.
He did carry on playing for a few years but then took a break away from cricket and in this period found out more about himself and what he liked and from this point forwards he got on a pathway to discover coaching.
He places significant imp
Episode 165 with Shiv Hustler on how a random meeting at a cricket match led to her working in the county age group system with Kent Cricket.
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Episode 164 with Jenny Wilkes on how women's football's loss is women's cricket's gain
Jenny is the youngest of three daughters and remembers with great fondness how she was always playing sport with her Dad as a young girl.
Very quickly Jenny found her way in football progressing from her local club side in the Tyne Valley to the Newcastle Utd FC Women's Academy to the England junior environment and then injury got in the way and she decided to move on from football.
What she did
Episode 163 with Sab Muthusamy on how a lifelong love of the game has led to coaching his club U15s, starting a cricket podcast and a touring team all in 2026
Sab has always been interested in cricket.
He grew up playing in the back garden and went on to enjoy playing junior club cricket in North Wales before stepping into the senior ranks and remaining steadfast in his pursuit of success.
To the present day and he has managed to move in to coaching the club U15s, captain the third team and at the same time start his first venture in to podcasts with
Episode 162 with Hugh Fort how the uniqueness, the nuances and inclusiveness of cricket have made Hugh a lifelong lover of the game of cricket
From playing cricket in the back garden as a young boy to the present day as a 40+ year old village cricketer looking forward to the upcoming season Hugh has always been hooked by the game .
He by his own admission has never been a great cricketer but he has always enjoyed the uniqueness of cricket and the fact that on a Sunday afternoon you can have individuals spanning five different decades pl
Episode 161 with Callum Jackson on how having started a career in county cricket he went on to forge a career in coaching and PT and founded New Era Training (NET) which offers a quite unique environment for its clients to practise in
Callum went through all the junior CAG programmes with Sussex after which he was offered a first pro contract and represented England U19s alongside Ben Duckett and others.
Callum then started to coach at high end academies in the UK and Abu Dhabi alongside which he worked as a qualified PT for high net worth clients in London and from these two experiences Callum formed the idea of NET.
Soon
Episode 160 with Dan Creasey on how a personal dislike of the game as a boy turned into a hunger to want to make cricket more exciting for youngsters
Dan openly admits he found cricket unexciting and dull up to the age of 14 but believes this helped him create the desire to do all he can to make the game more fun and entertaining through a coaching philosophy steeped in making the game competitive for boys and girls.
Also he tells the story of how watching Hepmeyer bat for the West Indies gave him the idea of setting up Calypso Cricket which i
Episode 159 with Zach Lion-Cachet on how keeping cricket more as a hobby growing up led to it becoming his career
Zach always wanted to become a pro footballer and from the age of six to seventeen was at Southampton's Academy. During that time he played cricket with his mates as a hobby which he loved but not obsessing about it becoming a career....and then all this changed when he was offered a contract by Sussex and then really got stuck into improving his game with the help of Gary Kirsten. From here he ge
Episode 158 with Dan Such on how much loving the game as a youngster paved the way for him to forger a career in coaching
Dan describes himself as one of those kids who was born already with a bat in hand! His first game was at the age of 8 but already he had been playing dawn til dusk with mates and was in love with the game.
He played throughout the Worcester county age groups as a junior and then got into coaching before he went to Uni.
From this point onwards he knew he wanted to coach more than anything and h
Episode 157 with Russell Perry on the changing face of coach education and how this may well be impacting on all aspects of the game from U13s to the national team
Russell brings 30+ years in coach development to this discussion in which he puts forward his view that the combination of the changing macro environment and ECB strategic priorities has seen a shift in coach development which he believes could well be impacting on cricket all the way up to and including the national team.
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Episode 156 with Ian Hawkins identity and performance coach of young athletes
Ian previously had a career in the corporate world in Australia but by his own admission it all felt a bit "mediocre" to him. He felt he could do more and provide more assistance to others so he started investing in his own knowledge and learning about coaching and this led to him starting his own business as a coach and sport found its way to be the central focus of his coaching work.
Ian now co
Episode 155 with Gio Colussi, batting performance specialist and online coach who helps players score more runs!
Gio is from Cape Town and grew up playing cricket for Western Province CC where he also established their first academy which he ran for nearly 20 years before moving his focus online post covid. He is a massive believer in keeping things simple and has a three step process to helping batters improve:
1. Mind, 2. Fundamentals, 3. Match Play
In our talk Gio shares more detail behind this process
Episode 154 with Adam Trunk on how he is about to undertake an opportunity that will see cricket reintroduced into state schools across Yorkshire and Lancashire
Adam grew up playing cricket in the streets around his home with mates.
He joined his local club in Leeds, Alwoodley aged 5 and fell in love with the game and the place straight away.
He overcame a nasty knee injury aged 15 which led to multiple operations and this led to him starting to coach for the first time which he found equally rewarding.
From this point forwards he found his way into e
Episode 153 with Joe Lowe coach with New Era Training on how a burning desire to play cricket at the highest level got him into coaching
Joe grew up in Merseyside and idolised Shane Warne growing up. He made his club first team debut aged just 13 and by the age of 15 was being asked to coach junior cricketers at the club. After finishing sixth form college he went to Australia for a winter to play and coach and whilst there made the decision to move to London where he found a club who offered him the chance to play and coach. 10 y
Episode 152 with Gary Hector Founder of Fathom Cricket powered by the Go Fathom App which makes providing feedback simple and effective at the click of a button
Gary has experience of starting up and taking to market a tech based business in the education sector. He is also a junior sports coach and parent of two sporty children.
As a junior player with Somerset he recalls how he never really got the right feedback at the right time to help him kick on with his development as a player.
As a parent of two children who love their sport he has witnessed co
Episode 151 with me being questioned by Livo on what's new about the upcoming Coach Development Day on Feb 21
This time last year Ian Livingston came on to chat with me about the inaugural coach development day in which I shared the background to the event, why I felt it was important and who was the day aimed towards.
In this episode Livo asks me to share details of what is different this time around:
slightly shorter day, different sessions, more partner organisations so lots for coaches to benefit fr
Episode 150 with Richard Shorter the Non Perfect Dad and facilitator of how to make difficult conversations easier for coaches and parents
Richard is a Baptist Minister, hockey coach, Motivational Interviewing expert and parent of three sporty children.
He is interested in finding ways of helping athletes get more curious about their own performance and learning through non judgemental acknowledgement and asking more questions as opposed to jumping in to help straight away.
This is a fascinating look in to an area that will be new
Episode 149 with David Digby how by giving coaching a go led to it becoming his vocation and the start of Centurion Community Cricket
David started playing cricket for the first time in his first year of senior school and immediately fell in love with it. He went on to captain the school's second eleven and joined Abberton CC where he tried coaching for the first time. This led to an introduction to coaching with Essex CAG juniors which is where he met his now business partner Brian.
After a tough time with work over Lockdown
Episode 148 with Peter Minns, Performance Pathway Assistant Coach with Norfolk Cricket Foundation
In this episode we hear from Peter on how an initial trip to Kenya inspired him to pave a career path in coaching which then took him to South Africa before returning to the UK.
He talks about the importance of ensuring that kids he coaches have fun, grow in confidence and learn more about themselves as individuals as well as the game.
As someone who places as high value on developing himself an
Episode 147 with Marcus Smith on how he has taken the baton on from his Dad to lead the growth of the junior section of his club in Woodbridge, Suffolk
Marcus started playing cricket when as an 8 year old he was invited to the club where his Dad was junior coordinator and he just instantly fell in love with the game.
He now plays first team club cricket and takes the lead on all matters relating to the re-build of the junior section starting with the thriving All Stars and Dynamos programmes. His vision is to see Woodbridge produce enough junior
Episode 146 with Luke McLaughlin on how an introduction from a friend led to a coaching experience in Argentina
Luke grew up in a very sporty family and cricket was one of the sports he got introduced to very young.
He played cricket at school and remembers coaches and teachers who encouraged him to have fun when it came to sport.
Going to Uni he needed to find a placement opportunity to help him with his Spanish so reached out to a friend who knew someone at the MCC who put Luke in touch with someone at
Episode 145: Coaching across cricket, rugby, football and rowing
A wonderful panel of guests representing the coaching and leadership community in Cricket (Dinesha Devnarain), Rowing (Cath Bishop), Football (Lewis Nightingale) and Rugby (Will Webster).
We hear each of the guests views on the following three questions:
1. How is success measured as a coach in your sport?
2. Describe your greatest challenge as an athlete and compare that to your greatest chal
Episode 144 with Dane Vilas on how an incredibly supportive family network helped him forge a successful career as a professional in the game and now as a coach
Dane is a massive believer in how the culture and environment you create as a coach directly links to how players perform and behave. He has seen this first hand good and not so good as a player and now wants to ensure he does all he can to create the best culture and environment for those players he coaches.
He is also a great believer in a coach being a support role to players who leads by ex
Episode 143 with Graeme West on how his first experience of coaching in schools in inner London provided him with the best foundation to grow as a coach
Graeme's first recollection of coaching in London was to a group of primary school kids on the fifth floor roof of a building in Hampstead!
Fast forward a few years and he is coaching in the nets with Middlesex academy and chatting with Toby Radford and from this conversation an opportunity arises which Graeme takes with both hands which takes him and his family to the Caribbean for 7 years durin
Episode 142 with Sam Hunt on how by sharing resources about fitness for cricket in Lockdown led to him founding Cricfit
CricFit specialise in providing S&C resource to amateur cricketers. Sam as its founder is someone with a strong background in the game, who grew up in the county age group junior ranks of Northants but fell out of love with cricket around the age of 16-17.
Having spent time in NZ playing aged 18 Sam went to Uni in Sheffield and got stuck into his Sports Science degree and then Lockdown hit.
Duri
Episode 141 with Adi Birrell on how as a self confessed journeyman coach he brings about positive change in the players he coaches through authentic leadership and honest credibility
Adi's first experience of coaching was in south African townships in 1986 where he wasn't a very popular figure simply because he was white.
Post Mandela's release he got involved in coaching the Eastern Province youth from U13-18 and from there got into coaching at the top level of the game.
He is from farming background and never played first class cricket so uses his love of the land and wil
Episode 140 with Jon Purdey on how as Chair of local club he has got behind Cricket District's pioneering junior cricket festival
Jon has had a lifelong involvement in cricket culminating in becoming Chair of Eastbourne CC a year ago. One of his main goals for his first year in office was to get behind the ground breaking idea that Cricket District put to him which was about creating a cricket festival and league for state educated kids across the county of Sussex. In its first year this event has seen 50 children take part
Episode 139 with Phoebe Turner: how a competitive spirit and resilient mindset led to getting a first professional contract and playing in the Hundred.
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Episode 138 with Tim de Leede how being asked to field as a 6 year old was the start for what becomes a long and distinguished career in the game as player and coach
Tim loved the game of cricket from that first time he played as a six year old and took two catches in an U12s match. He very quickly got invited into the Netherlands junior programme and moved up to the full international team as a batter who was not afraid to hit the ball!
Tim remembers the positive impact coach Nolan Clarke had on him from a young age and in particular the questions he was ask
Episode 137: Three young friends discuss how The Hundred is not the way forward for developing the game of cricket
Three friends share their views on The Hundred and why they believe it is not the way forward for all youngsters who enjoy playing the game.
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Episode 136: How watching Ryan Sidebottom in the stands led to a first opportunity to play which in turn led to her first experience of being coached
Mollie began her interest in cricket as a fan in the crowd at Headingley and Scarborough. Quickly this all changed as she was invited to a junior cricket academy and over that Winter she properly fell in love with the game.
After being coached so positively she finds herself on a journey into the Yorkshire CCC junior age groups and from there to Chance to Shine where she coached for the first ti
Episode 135 with Will Webster how a school rugby coach inspired him to pursue coaching as a career and years later has seen this come to reality in Africa and Hong Kong
Will went to school with Jos Butler and like JB wanted to become a pro cricketer until aged 13 he got more involved with rugby. Fast forward to the age of 16 and his school rugby coach instilled the idea of considering coaching as a career plan which he has now been doing for over a decade already which has seen him coach in Africa and China.
He now mentors other coaches in pro sports including c
Episode 134 with Gavin Levey on how a passion for learning and helping others improve themselves in football led to a career in the professional game for Gavin.
This is a first for the podcast series as I chat with a high level coach from football to hear his story and find out the challenges he faces and the values he holds dear when it comes to supporting young players in the game.
This is a great episode to listen to for all those recreational club cricket coaches many of whom will also coach other sports including football.
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Episode 133 with Andy Moles: how Bob Woolmer encouraged him to take up coaching as a career option for post playing and ends up coaching all over the globe
A remarkable story to listen to for so many reasons and yet ultimately as someone who still advocates the importance of having fun when coaching younger players having had a career as a county player before turning his attention to coaching first of all in SA and then on to numerous other countries around the cricketing globe.
Andy now has a book out called Round the World in 40 years and if you
Episode 132 with Jamie Lloyd: how Jamie's wife encouraged him to get back to cricket after a 13 year break and a relocation from New Zealand to USA!
Jamie grew up in North Shore Auckland in New Zealand and got into cricket through friends at school although his first love was rugby!
In those formative years he got to see and experience first hand the addictiveness of cricket, appreciate the camraderie and understand the spirit of cricket.
He started coaching aged 17 but then after leaving school found himself detached from the game for what
Episode 131 with Dean Headley on how important honest mentoring of young cricketers is today as the game is not a "fairy tale"
Dean comes from a famous cricket family background but that did not mean he was going to make it in the game. In fact as a youngster he was far more interested in football until he moved to RGS Worcester where he immersed himself in the cricket environment and excelled for the school and for his local club Old Hill CC. He was then offered a pro contract by Worcestershire at the age of 18 only to h
Episode 130 with Chris Partridge on how every aspect of the game is so appealing and how this led to him getting into coaching
Chris shares loads of important soundbites including the importance of developing your ability to solve problems as a cricketer eg where and how to score a single and rotate the strike.
He stresses the importance of knowing your audience as a coach and teacher and being able to adapt your approach according to their needs.
He also shares this simple yet powerful coaching mantra:
"Coach bowlers
Episode 129 with Nathan Scarff on how to develop your ability to build trusted relationships with players and to always remember to check in with them from time to time to see how they are getting on in cricket and outside of the game
Nathan is very much a coach who is interested in making a positive difference to the person he coaches by adopting a personable, approachable and relaxed style. By his own admission Nathan has picked up learnings from different people along his journey and continues to do this currently. He is a big believer in bringing music into practice as he has seen the positive impact it has had with lifting
Episode 128 with Chris Highton how important it is to be resilient, have a good network and adapt your coaching to suit your audience
Chris is someone who by his own admission has to pinch himself to recognise his achievements in the coaching world. Having had a number of set backs along the way and moments when he did not think he was going to make it, he picked himself up and kept on going and is now relishing the opportunity with Derbyshire CCC.
In this episode Chris looks back on his time when he first started out coaching
Episode 127 with James Taylor, Founder of Community Cricket Enterprise
James grew up in Trowbridge, Wiltshire and played cricket with his three brothers as a youngster and ended up going to play at his local club. He still loves the game as much today as when he first started playing but sees that money and time have become prohibitors to people to getting into the game and he wants to do something constructive to address this: hence starting Community Cricket Enterp
Episode 126 with Kevin Sharp: how learning how to coach primary school kids at the start of his coaching career stood Sharpy in good stead for a return to the professional game
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Episode 125 with Stevie Gilmour: How to help take pressure off players as a coach. Performance Pysch and Breathwork Consultant and Director of Cricket with Carlton CC in Edinburgh
From the age of seven Stevie had a poster on his bedroom wall saying he wanted to play cricket for Scotland and by the age of 20 he realised this dream when he represented Scotland 4 times before dislocating his shoulder and struggling with his fitness thereafter.
He studied Sports Science at University and went on to do a Masters in Performance Psych seeking the applied aspect of it and as a coa
Episode 124 with Ben Crump: how to create and imbed a coaching culture which embraces the mantra of it is "Safe to Fail"
Ben coaches in the Dorset County Age Group Pathway and is also Head of Cricket at King's School Bruton where both boys and girls cricket is thriving. He sees that communication as a coach is vital in relation to players, parents and other coaches. He also adopts an honesty policy when communicating decisions relating to a player or providing feedback and in our chat explains how he does this.
Lear
Episode 123 with Madeleine Ward. How to get involved with a club's junior cricket with no prior experience of cricket at all and still be able to make a positive impact
Madeleine first got involved with her local cricket club as a parent when her 7 year old son expressed an interest in playing. 30 years on she is Chair of a very successful junior section and in her time in this role has overseen and led on decisions which have considerably moved the junior section of the club forwards.
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Episode 122 with Tom Pilkington who shows how having the confidence to reach out to others has led to many exciting coaching opportunities
Tom is a second year undergraduate University student at the Uni of Worcester and yet he has already started his own cricket coaching company called Vortex; he has already worked in county age group coaching with Herefordshire; and he has already established a base from which he can coach 121 at a club. How has he done this? Simply put, Tom has achieved this by approaching decision makers and talk
Episode 121 when we go #global and connect with three individuals who coach in three different parts of the cricketing world
In this episode we listen to Dinesha, Mike and Marty and what their underpinning coaching principles are, why they enjoy coaching so much and much more. It is fascinating to hear from three coaches who place high levels of importance on the human side of coaching and we hear things like heart-performance, emotional intelligence, mental wellbeing etc
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Episode 120 with Dr John Price who shares his story as a former Head Teacher in schools where he championed sport as an invaluable life lesson
John comes from a family where cricket was already in their DNA. He describes himself as an educator who places a great deal of importance on the role of sport in adding value to young people's lives and in particular cricket. He wants to see more cricket played in state high schools and also sees how important the role of club cricket is in a young person's life.
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Episode 119 with Mithun Kundu a mental toughness coach on a mission to demystify what mental toughness means and how he applies it to the players he supports
Mithun shares his coaching journey with us in this episode and in doing so educates us around the meaning of mental toughness as far as he sees it. Mithun supports hundreds of young players on their cricket journey by instilling belief in themselves and providing them with the motivation to stay in the game despite the challenges it presents along with the pressure from coaches and parents.
Learn
Episode 118 with Andy Griffiths. The key ingredients as a coach that Andy has learned are How to build connections and how to adapt to your coaching environment.
Andy is the Head of Pathway Coaching at Somerset CCC and has worked with the county for 8 years. He started his coaching journey as an 18 year old in club cricket and saw a means to get into the pro game via Performance Analysis which he did successfully with Notts first before moving to Taunton.
Andy has always had an interest in the people side of coaching and has always been proactive in build
Episode 117 with Andy Bennion: how to enable a club to be self-sustainable by prioritising the growth of the junior section over a ten year period.
Benners took the lead in creating the strategy for growth within the club by developing a 10 year vision at the heart of which was growing the junior section in terms of both players and coaches.
Over time he oversaw the junior numbers increase from 40 to 250 and the number of volunteer coaches triple by getting people on board with the plan and keeping this as the number one priority for Alvanle
Episode 116 with Stuart Barnes: how to surround yourself with good people to help yu on your coaching joruney
Stuart is a former professional cricketer who has coached for 25 years as a specialist fast bowling coach.
Stuart talks about how through coaching, the game of cricket remains firmly in his heart and how through the support of a number of people with the gift of connection he has developed as a coach over the years.
His ambition is to become world class as a bowling coach and he wants to pass on
Episode 115 with Dan WIlliams: how by creating the right environment in your club leads to growing the numbers of junior cricketers
Dan started coaching when his son Freddie started showing an interest in the game aged 9.
At Whimple CC Dan is one of 12+ coaches who support over 100 kids play cricket where there is a real Team effort to provide an excellent offer for the children.
Dan's style of coaching is about getting to know the players as individuals to assess their confidence levels and from there help them with their g
Episode 114 with Mike Lucas: how patience and resilience and a few wonderful mentors helped Mike develop his own cricket coaching philosophy
Mike is a proud parent of twin cricket-loving boys who now is a passionate coach of younger players in Barbados at Wanderers CC.
At the centre of his coaching is fostering a strong sense of discipline, understanding the value of practice and encouraging healthy competition balanced alongside the importance of fun.
Mike puts the player first and sees how important it is to help the player feel
Episode 113 with Paul Shaw MD of Inside Leadership: How to always have a positive purpose with your coaching.
Paul is now Head of the Specialist Coach Programme (Level 4) with the ECB so comes with tons of experience in coaching and leadership.
In this episode Paul talks about the importance of always ensuring you have a positive purpose about your coaching at whatever level you coach.
He also emphasises the importance of tailoring your coaching to suit the individual needs of the players you coach.
He
