Cricket academy to visit Wairarapa

Wairarapa cricket is to get a major boost to its development programme through a visit by the Bracewell Cricket Academy next week.

Based in Napier, the academy was set up by former Wairarapa cricketer Brendon Bracewell. It started in Tauranga and then shifted to Wairarapa for four years before again shifting to Hawke's Bay.

Brendon Bracewell is a former Black Cap and father of star bowler Doug Bracewell, hero of the Black Cap's recent win over Australia.

Apart from Doug Bracewell, the academy can lay claim to greatly enhancing the careers of other top line cricketers including Black Caps Kane Williamson and Trent Boult.

Wairarapa Sports Education Trust has got in behind the proposed visit and is confident it is supporting a great programme.

Next Tuesday a 50-over match will be played between a Bracewell academy side and the Wairarapa Chairman's X1, at Queen Elizabeth Park.

The Wairarapa X1 is to be made up of players not now in the Wairarapa senior Hawke Cup team, giving much needed experience to emerging players.

It will be captained by former Wairarapa and Central Districts A captain Sam Curtis and will include promising young players such as Ben Foster, Harry Clinton-Baker, Stefan Hook and Daniel Haxton.

The full team is: Alex Treseder, Justin Herbert, James Adamson, Sam Curtis, Joe Hull, Harry Clinton-Baker, Jared Watt, Ben Foster, Choi Jackson, Aaron Wilson, Daniel Haxton and Stefan Hook.

The academy players will stay in Wairarapa overnight and the next morning will hold a coaching and training session for all age group players in the district.

This will be at Rathkeale College at the high performance centre Brendon Bracewell was instrumental in designing and setting up eight years ago.

Academy staff will be assisted by Wairarapa Cricket coaches and part of the programme is to hold a series of competitions including testing young players on the speed ball radar to determine who is the most promising "young quick" in the district.

Curtis said any prospective young cricketer in the under 14 to under 18 age bracket should come along to Rathkeale at 9.30am on Wednesday.