An on-going love for and commitment to the sport of Cricket at St Joseph’s College has been recognised with the inclusion of the school in The Cricketer Guide 2021, a register of the country’s top 100 cricketing senior schools.
The accolade follows an exhaustive process which saw a record number of schools submit entries to be included in the guide, despite the ongoing pandemic. All entries were judged against an extensive set of criteria, including a compelling commitment to cricket in the curriculum, plus first-rate facilities, fixtures programmes and coaching.
Cricket has a wide appeal and for the first time this year, The Cricketer has also compiled a list of the top 20 all-girls cricketing schools. At Joseph’s College, cricket is played widely among the students as part of the general sports curriculum and is also an elite performance sport for both girls and boys, who represent at a regional level, including for Suffolk and Essex Counties.
Cricketer magazine editor Simon Hughes said: ‘This year’s Schools Guide is particularly important in showcasing our schools who have kept the game alive through a very challenging summer… The appetite to get back out on the playing fields is palpable.’
All praise to the teachers, coaches and volunteers who have put in so much hard work, in the most difficult of circumstances, to preserve a love of the game among the next generation, he added.
There has been significant investment in the sport at St Joseph’s over the past two years, with the building of a sleek, dual aspect pavilion – opened by Essex cricketer Ryan Ten Doeschate – the installation of top-quality nets and the overhaul of the indoor cricket training facility, allowing year-round training.
Head of Cricket, Mr Tyler, an ECB Level 3 Advanced Coach, is assisted full-time by former professional cricketer – and alumnus of St Joseph’s – Mr Matt Hunn, also an ECB Level 3 Advanced Coach, who had five successful years as a fast bowler on the staff at Kent CCC.
Mr Tyler welcomed the College’s inclusion in the top 100 list, saying, ‘We are really delighted to have made it into the top 100, alongside some very prestigious cricketing schools nationwide – one of only two Suffolk schools to be recognised in this way. The commitment the College has shown towards cricket has allowed us to provide a programme that caters for high performance male and female cricketers as well as placing emphasis on mass participation. The hard work and commitment to the game does not end here and we will continue to strive to provide fantastic cricketing opportunities for our students.’
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