A BOLTON cricket club have launched a new venture hoping other teams in the area 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 is 15 club juniors who have been identified by the Rigbye’s side as future talented players.

It will help the players improve their game with in-depth coaching with Paul Tebay and Amal Dalogoda working on the cricket side while Matty Dewhurst will be the fitness coach and ex-Bradshaw player Bradley Yates is giving hints and tips to the wicket-keepers.

Club chairman Steve Dickinson believes it is an exciting development which will pay off in years to come.

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 know we are on the right track but have not been producing enough first team cricketers which we used to.

“We have been analysing it for 18 months what we need to do and we 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 works for Bolton Wanderers and Stockport and he is working on eating plans and 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 their support.”

Dickinson admits the sponsorship helps them reach the pinnacle of what they want to do with the academy.

He said: “Egerton have done something similar in the past but 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 and may even go on to being Lancashire cricketers in the next few years.”

Among the players in the academy include: 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.