Opportunity knocks for Yorkshire’s young guns whose preparations for the new season are in full swing.
That is the view of James Martin, the head of the county’s performance pathway.
Earlier this month, the county announced their Academy and Emerging Players Programme intake ahead of 2025, totalling 45 players. Those players will be split into four groups; the boys’ Academy and EPP and the girls’ Academy and EPP.
But, make no mistake, this is very much one programme.
“We’re very much aligning with the club’s messaging about One Rose, One Club, One Yorkshire,” said Martin.
“The alignment with the boys’ and girls’ Academy and EPP groups, right the way down through the County Age-Groups, it’s seamless. It’s just one pathway.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. James Martin, Yorkshire’s head of the performance pathway.
“What works for boys might not necessarily work for the girls and visa and versa, but there’s still significant consistency and continuity between both.
“What’s presented to the girls’ Academy and EPP will be exactly the same as what is presented to the boys. What the girls get, the boys get, and visa versa.”
All players – those returning to the programme and the new inductees – were brought in to Headingley for fitness testing on the weekend of October 26 and 27.
They then started their winter training programme from November 4, preparing for 50-over, T20 and three-day cricket next summer. Those are the formats the boys and girls will be playing.
“From an Academy point of view, the players will be in three times a week, both during the week and at weekends,” continued Martin. “What we’re focusing on this side of Christmas is individual skill development and physical robustness.”
Tom Craddock continues as lead coach for the boys’ Academy, while Chris Brice is leading the girls’ Academy programme. Mark Harrison is leading the girls’ EPP and Jack Mousley the boys. Below that, Yorkshire have a quintet of high performance support coaches in Bilal Anjam, Mohammad Azharullah, John Major, Ben Silver and Jarred Warner.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Former Northamptonshire fast bowler Mohammad Azharullah is one of Yorkshire’s high performance coaches.
“There’s a wide range of knowledge and skills there,” said Martin. “There’s bowling, batting and wicketkeeping knowledge there. We’re very well covered across skills and experience.
“There will naturally be a lot of knowledge sharing between all of our coaches and programmes.”
There is now significant excitement building ahead of 2025, both at senior level and below.
For Martin, he is looking forward to seeing players push for opportunities at senior level.
Yorkshire Women’s head coach Rich Pyrah has already said he expects to hand opportunities to youngsters in Tier 2 cricket, while men’s head coach Anthony McGrath will no doubt be keen to see players press their case when the Metro Bank One-Day Cup rolls around in July.
Both head coaches, alongside the likes of John Sadler and Tom Smith, have been a notable presence around the early stages of Academy and EPP winter training, with some players set to train with the seniors at Headingley over the next few months.
Picture by YCCC. Yorkshire’s Academy celebrate their U18s County Cup success at Kibworth in September 2024.
Another source of inspiration for the players should be that since mid-summer this year, five players have graduated from Academy cricket to senior professional contracts. Namely, they are Jawad Akhtar, Noah Kelly, Erin Thomas, Alex Wade and Maddie Ward.
Work hard, do the right things and you never know how quickly a career can progress.
“Absolutely, 100 percent,” said Martin.
“We’ll see quite a high volume of Academy and EPP players playing in the Tier 2 team at various stages of the summer. And we’ve had great conversations with Mags about how we get our boys involved with the seniors as well.
“The year in Tier 2 provides us with a fantastic opportunity to really progress our own. To have the chance of featuring in Tier 2 cricket will be great for the players and their development.
“A massive success last year was the second-team exposure across the Academy. Will Bennison hundred, Jawad Akhtar hundred, Noah Kelly hundred, the way Tom Bradley bowled as a 16-year-old. Alex Wade and Joe Thompson performed very well.
Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com. Wicketkeeper-batter Ellie Nightingale is on Yorkshire’s Academy for 2025.
“That was fantastic to see.”
Martin describes getting three players through to professional contracts as a “massive success” for 2024. And for that to be married with some silverware was a bonus.
The boys’ Academy group won their Under 18s 50-over County Cup at the start of September, beating Middlesex in the final at Kibworth in Leicestershire.
“That was fantastic,” added Martin.
“A good number of them were Under 17s who won that Under 18s competition, and what’s great is that a lot of them have remained with us for 2025.
“They have either stayed on the Academy or transferred up from the EPP into the Academy – Brad Sylvester, Jay Singh and Charlie Taylor to name just a couple of them. A lot of players really advanced their games.”
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Yorkshire Academy fast bowler Matthew Firbank.
Yorkshire Academy 2025: William Bennison (Sheriff Hutton Bridge), Inés Blackwell (Marton), Tom Bradley (Sheffield Collegiate), Edward Burch (Hallam), Maiya Charlesworth (Rockingham Colliery), Matthew Firbank (Clifton Alliance), Tom Fraine (York), Holly Garton (Harrogate), Navya Gutta (Wakefield Thornes), Joe Hayes (Cawthorne), Ellie Nightingale (Wrenthorpe), Frances Lonsdale (Clifton Cobras), Amelia Love (Bolton Percy), Amelia Oliver (Harrogate), Louie Owens (Sheffield Collegiate), Elicia Pollard (Stones), Lucy Randle-Bissell (Doncaster Town), Harvey Round (Barnsley Woolley Miners), Jay Singh (Hallam), Owen Smith (Barnsley Woolley Miners), Bradley Sylvester (Cleckheaton), Charlie H Taylor (Honley), Joe Thompson (Clifton Alliance), Emma Wrightson (Wrenthorpe).
Yorkshire Emerging Players Programme 2025: Alice Acklam (Beverley Town), Subhaan Ali (New Farnley), Olivia Breese (Sessay), Natalie Brown (Doncaster Town), Elizabeth Fidler (Rockingham Colliery), Georgie Flack (York), Rizwan Ishfaq (Sheffield Collegiate), Chiara Kariyawasan (Cottingham), Ashwin Krishnan (Hull Zingari), George Lancaster (Olicanian), Jeanie Lee (Emley Clarance), Florrie McKenna (Sheffield Collegiate), Anishka Nayak (Alwoodley), Charlie Richardson (Beverley Town), Muhammad Safiullah Abrar (Wakefield Thornes), Maiya Shaw (Whitby), Alex Strain (York), Charlie Taylor (Aston Hall), Lewis Upton (Rockingham Colliery), Anushri Wadehra (Sessay), Louie Wilson (Studley Royal).
