Academic and cricketing excellence on offer at the UCCEs

It was not so very long ago that any embryonic first-class cricketer wanting to continue with his studies really had only two options. Oxford or Cambridge Universities. Now all that has changed with the emergence of six University Centres of Cricketing Excellence. The talented cricketer with aspirations to play professionally does not necessarily have to get straight As to continue his cricket and academic education.

The centres that have been established are Bradford/Leeds (based on Bradford University, Bradford College, Leeds University and Leeds Metropolitan University), Cambridge (Cambridge University and Anglia Polytechnic University), Cardiff/Glamorgan (Cardiff University, University of Wales Institute Cardiff and the University of Glamorgan), Durham (Durham University), Loughborough (Loughborough University) and Oxford (Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University). In addition to the historic Oxford and Cambridge, now Durham and Loughborough enjoy first-class status for their cricket.

Perhaps `enjoy' might not be quite the right word, because the coach at Durham, former Lancashire and England opening batsman Graeme Fowler, does not think the tag sits easily on the level of cricket being played. "I never wanted first-class status for Durham University," he admits. "What I originally suggested was that they gave it another name. Call it A class or something and so create a new status. That would show the world what had been achieved without creating the potential situation where it could make a mockery of first-class statistics.

"On the plus side, what it has done - thanks to the first-class counties we play against appreciating what we are trying to achieve - has seen those counties putting out a side appropriate to the fixture. They understand the developmental process we are putting our players through. From that point view, giving us first-class status has worked in that it makes my university lads realise how much further they have to go and how much better they have got to get.

"It also means that the county players can't just turn up and play, because once the match has that first-class title, it means it's more competitive and this is the real thing. But you have to have two understanding parties - the man who runs the university team and the man who runs the county team - to make it all work."

So has the development of UCCEs worked, especially at Durham? Fowler is not certain because, at the outset when he suggested the concept in 1996, he was not certain what the expectations were. He thought it was a good idea and so did the then TCCB and the Cricket Foundation who provided all-important funding.

For a justification, Fowler points to the fact that, since its inception as a UCCE, Durham has provided some 20 players into first-class cricket, with James Foster going on to play for England and Andrew Strauss included in the winter touring parties. Fowler says: "I think, if you look at percentages, all the centres will have a big impact on county cricket over time. If you look at who comes in, who gets better and who goes out and performs, it's working."

So what does the future hold for UCCEs? "I think they have a very positive future," says Fowler. "I don't think it will necessarily be a smooth transition because there is a significant turn-over in students. But what we have established is that the first years learn from the second and third years so that every year our centre has become more professional, it's increased the lads' awareness and we've got a great culture going.

"The intake of new cricketers will vary. There'll be cycles when you get two or three good years and then others when you don't get very good players. You have to understand that by their very nature, UCCEs will fluctuate."

Fowler is himself a graduate of Durham University. He was attracted to go there by the reputation it had for producing cricketers, but the culture in those days was nothing like it is now. "I probably only had two organised net sessions in three years," he says, "but it had history and so everybody gravitated to Durham. Now we have six centres and people can decide what academic path they want to follow and it's spread the cricketers more evenly.

"Maybe the vice-chancellor is not too happy by that but for me - loving the game rather than the university - I think it's a great thing. It's given more people opportunities and over a period of time I think it has to be a marvellous thing."

It is a small step from being a schoolboy cricketer to graduating to join the likes of Graeme Fowler at Durham or one of the other centres of excellence. Three years later, you could be graduating in an academic sense, and making the grade in county and possibly international cricket.

See all the details at https://www.ecb.co.uk/ecb/grassroots/ucce.html.