MCC is bringing back its Young Cricketers Programme
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is relaunching its Young Cricketers (YC) programme, which was halted for the last five years. This time, 22 amateur cricketers will get a chance to become professionals this summer.
This programme has been running in different forms since the 1920s and was active until 2019 but was shut down due to the pandemic. Now it is being relaunched, with former England Test player Graeme Swann appointed as Head Coach.
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Under Swann’s guidance, 22 undiscovered players, or those released by county teams, will play high-level matches and receive first-class coaching. One player will also earn a place in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup squad in August, along with a Gray-Nicolls sponsorship package.
The MCC Young Cricketers Programme has a strong legacy. For almost a century the programme has trained world-class players. Early players such as Dennis Compton went through the programme. Today, some of England’s biggest players such as Sir Ian Botham, Phil Tufnell, Alex Hales and Dawid Malan are alumnus of the programme.
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Apart from this, international stars like Darren Sammy, Dean Elgar, Glenn Phillips, Ross Taylor, and Travis Head have also trained here. This programme is like a finishing school for players who are not yet ready for professional cricket. Although the programme was stopped after 2019, even today there are many of its graduates in county teams. Jamie Porter of Essex, Fynn Hudson-Prentice of Sussex, Ben Sears and Jordan Thompson of Yorkshire, Billy Root of Glamorgan, and Adam Hose and Kashif Ali of Worcestershire have all come out of this programme. International star players like Bas de Leede, Finn Allen, and Ben Curran are also graduates of MCC. Former Head Coaches Mark Alleyne, Ajmal Shahzad, and Steve Kirby are also active in county cricket coaching.
The 2025 programme will consist of a one-month session where Graeme Swann and ECB scouts will train and trial 22 aspiring players at Lord’s and Wormsley for three days. The squad will then be reduced to 14 players, who will then showcase their skills against tough opposition.
These matches will include teams from Lancashire, South Asian Cricket Association, Middlesex, Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, and Jersey. After the final selection, one player will be awarded a county team contract. Two other players will also have the opportunity to take part in MCC’s Zimbabwe tour.
Rob Lynch, MCC’s Director of Cricket and Operations, said: “We are delighted to be relaunching our Young Cricketers programme. This is an important route for players who may not have reached the peak of their age and may have missed out due to some reason. This programme will give them the opportunity to realise their full potential.” He further said, “We are getting support from ECB and coaches of the country for which we are thankful. Being a former YC, I know how important this program is. It is a great thing for the players to get a chance to learn with an experienced coach like Graeme Swann.”
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