Denness opens academy in Scotland

Mike Denness has opened a new indoor academy in Scotland. The National Cricket Academy introduces state of the art facilities north of the border, in an investment hoped to develop more players of the likes of Gavin Hamilton and Denness himself.

"This facility is fantastic news for Scottish cricket," announced Denness, the first England captain born and bred in Scotland. "We all know how bad British weather can be, and far too many training days are missed."

The academy cost £3m and boasts the very best in up to date facilities such as video capability, under floor shock proofing and varying bounce facility; as well as the necessary space and lighting to provide players with the best chance to improve their games.

Jim Love, the director of cricket at the Scottish Cricket Union, was delighted. "Until now there has not been anywhere suitable to practise," he explained. "Now we have a first class facility to offer, and we are now hopeful that over the next few years we will see a great improvement in the performance of Scottish cricketers."

The new building will also home the offices of the Scottish Cricket Union, as well as providing local people with a multi sports facility. It is situated in Edinburgh, and has been part financed by the Sportscotland lottery fund and the Erskine Stewarts Melville Council.

"There are 47 similar centres in England, yet this is the first in Scotland," commented Ian Robson, the Chief Executive of Sportscotland. "This is despite having over 12,000 regular senior players and thousands of youngsters getting into the game through an active junior programme. However, the strength of this facility is its duel use as a high quality community sports centre for local people."