Guernsey Cricket Board

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Guernsey and Sussex County Cricket Club have formed a link to work together in a coaching and development scheme designed to help both organisations.

Guernsey will benefit from extra specialist coaching and a chance for the elite cricketers to progress to the next playing level whilst Sussex will have access to possible county players of the future.

The agreement means that top coaches from Sussex will visit Guernsey roughly one weekend a month to work alongside the Guernsey Coaches Association in providing an elite performers programme.

Guernsey Cricket Development Officer, Jason Shambrook said, "It is great to be linked with such a professional outfit as Sussex. The club has a real family feel to it, everything that they do has a clear and defined pathway from their U9's through to their first eleven".

The Sussex coaches will work with players from Guernsey's U9's, all the way through to the Islands seniors.

"Sussex will also work closely with the Guernsey Men's Team to help them with their goal setting, coaching ideas and preparation for tournaments", said Shambrook, "Having visited the Island twice in the past 2 months, a number of Guernsey's players have already benefited from the vast knowledge and understanding of cricket that these coaches bring".

As well as player development, coach development is also the key to Guernsey's long term success in cricket. Local coach Jonny Orme has recently attended the Sussex Academy at Hove, where he worked alongside Sussex's top coaches. This gives Guernsey's coaches an insight into how the county set-up provides their elite players with facilities and guidance in order to fulfill their dreams of playing top level cricket.

The coaches who will play the main role within the Guernsey link are, Keith Greenfield who is a Level 4 coach, former Sussex player and Academy director, Andrew Cornford, level 3 coach who works primarily within Sussex's Academy, Ben Haining, Sussex's strength and conditioning coach and Carl Hopkinson, current Sussex first team batter and one of England's finest fielders. Each coach brings with them their own experiences and knowledge from different working backgrounds.

With the likely opening of Guernsey's own indoor cricket centre in September 2007, the facilities available to Guernsey's cricketers, along with the further coaching time available from Sussex, will push Guernsey cricket to the next level and provides a great opportunity for Island cricket.