Wisden City Cup
Launches in Leicester
A Pathway to the Professional Game
Promising local cricketers will have the opportunity to begin a fast track career to the professional game later this month, by taking part in the Wisden City Cup. Trials for teams from the North, South, East and West of Leicester could lead to an appearance at Grace Road and the chance for one lucky individual to become an MCC Young Cricketer.
The tournament's best player will be awarded a contract with the MCC Young Cricketers. There will also be cash prizes, including man of the match, batting, bowling and fielding awards. An ECB qualified coach will be helping out with each of the four teams in Leicester.
Leicestershire has become the second county to launch the Wisden City Cup, an initiative that aims to increase the popularity of cricket in inner-city communities. The objective is to provide players with the opportunity to play on good club grounds and promote social cohesion.
The inaugural WCC Leicester tournament will take place this summer under the auspices of the Leicestershire and Rutland Cricket Board, thanks to the sponsorship of the Foundation for Sport and the Arts.
The Leicester competition will include four teams representing Leicester North, South, East and West. The teams will play each other twice in 20-over midweek matches, followed by a final between the top two teams.
Trials to represent teams from the West and East of Leicester take place on May 18th and 25th at the City Cricket Academy on Commercial Road in Leicester , starting at 6pm.
The North and South trials are at 5pm on May 20th and 27th, also at the City Cricket Academy.
The trials are open to all players that live in the city of Leicester and are aged 16 and over. However, participants cannot have played Premier League cricket last season or be registered with a first-class county or minor county in England and Wales. Players are also required to bring their own equipment to trials and matches.
All of the matches will take place at inner-city venues and start between 5.30pm and 6pm in the evening. Teams will play a minimum of six games in a league table format. As well as the matches, players will take part in training sessions, and presentations and post match meals will take place after every game.
The inaugural Wisden Cricket Cup, took place in north London in July and August 2009 and was run with the backing of Middlesex CCC, the help of Phil Knappett and the club's development officers, and coordinated by Angus Fraser.
Leicester's winning WCC team will go on to play a London WCC team in the first British inter-city Cup Final, which well be held at Leicestershire's Grace Road ground on September 11th, 2011.
On the same day the MCC Young Cricketers will play a combined London-Leicester WCC XI at Grace Road. The most promising player from the game will be offered the chance to become an MCC Young Cricketer in April 2012. The selection panel will be led by Mark Alleyne, the head of MCC Young Cricketers.
This means that someone who hasn't been playing official cricket will be fast tracked to the top. So by turning up for the Leicester trials later this month you could end up as a professional cricketer within a year.
Mark Alleyne, Head Coach of MCC, said: "The Wisden City Cup is doing some great work in reaching out to find undiscovered talent. MCC Young Cricketers exists to identify promising players and support them through to the first-class game, so the coming together of the two is a perfect fit. I'm looking forward to seeing the ability on show this year and working with their best player next season."
Ged McDougall, the LRCB's Cricket Development Manager, added: "The LRCB welcomes this opportunity to work with Wisden to deliver a competition to players in the city and offer them an opportunity to develop their skills by working with quality coaches."
