New community cricket coach looking to get State schools better represented in county coach

NEW community cricket coach Andrew Buzza is a man on a mission to get more State school youngsters playing cricket.

Buzza, a proud old-boy of Clyst Vale Community College in Exeter, has just taken over the vacant post at South Dartmoor Community College previously filled by Scott Chappell.

Cricket charity Chance to Shine, the ECB and the cricket academy at the college have shared funding for the post, which will take Buzza into primaries in the South Dartmoor School Sports Partnership.

Chappell had four successful years building-up cricket at the college into a national force and setting up links between primary schools and their neighbourhood clubs.

Buzza knows how important it is to foster links between schools and clubs from his own experiences as a youngster.

“I had some fantastic teachers at Clyst Vale, but cricket was never on the timetable,” said Buzza.

“Having been told by Exeter I was too young for their youth section, I went to Whimple and learned to play cricket there.

“Colin Fildew and Malcolm Pavia at Whimple were great, organising one-to-one coaching for us youngsters at Somerset.

“Whimple and later Exmouth coached me in cricket, which wouldn’t have happened at school.

“I was lucky enough to be part of the Devon age-group teams after a while and the noticeable thing was how few State school lads were involved.

“Sometimes it was only myself, Mark Orchard, Matt Thompson.

“The reason was simple: cricket wasn’t played in State schools.

“One of the things that appealed to me about this job was the chance to change the balance. Within five years I hope to see many more State school youngsters playing.”

South Dartmoor Community College teams have shown State schools can make their mark in cricket if given the opportunity.

South Dartmoor won six Devon titles in 2015 – boys as well as girls – and reached a national indoor final at Lord’s.

The 2016 season went pretty well for South Dartmoor with two national Chance to Shine titles – only State schools can enter – and a runners-up place. School teams reached semi-finals and finals in Devon competitions too.

Some State secondary schools play cricket, among them Devonport High, Torquay Boys’, Kings, Ottery and Churston Ferrers Grammar School.

Torquay Boys’ were Devon champs at under-15 level last summer and reached the national quarter-finals, where they lost to King’s School, Taunton.

Buzza has 43 schools in the Partnership, stretching all the way from Exminster on the outskirts of Exeter down to the South Hams primaries.

He wants to see boys and girls from those schools get involved in clubs and become the next generation of Devon age-group players.

“I will get round six-to-eight schools per term and introduce them to cricket and ensure those who like the sport are pointed towards their local clubs,” said Buzza.

“Some schools are already well connected to clubs near them – such as South Dartmoor and Bovey Tracey – but others aren’t.

“I am already talking to clubs, South Devon are one of the first to ask to see me, to make sure they know what I am doing and where they fit in.”

Buzza said he would encourage links between schools and clubs across the whole spectrum.

“If parents don’t know much about cricket they will often assume the biggest, most successful club in their area is the best place for their child to go,” said Buzza.

“As I know from my own experience at Whimple, lots of fantastic work with young cricketers takes place in clubs at many different levels.”