23 March 2022
The summer term will reverberate with the sound of leather on willow as Woldingham students start hard ball cricket training with Head of Cricket Development Mr Gary Outram and Cricket Coach Mr Ben Ladd-Gibbon (pictured), who has just been selected for the MCC elite squad for the second year running.
To prepare for hard ball cricket, four cricket nets are being installed in the Sports Centre during the Easter holidays, following the recent lighting and paintwork upgrade, in line with Sport England requirements. Students will continue to play soft ball cricket in matches. In next term’s fixtures Woldingham teams will meet Heathfield School, Epsom College, Kent College, Croydon High among others.
Mr Ladd-Gibbon explained, “Our fantastic new nets will give us all-year-round training facilities for hard ball cricket. However, continuing to play soft ball as students transition to the hard ball game is ideal, as it helps develop many skills common to both games.”
It’s also an exciting time outside Woldingham for Mr Ladd-Gibbon, who plays for Ealing Cricket Club in the Premier Division of the Middlesex Country Cricket League and semi-professional cricket for Dorset. His selection for the MCC elite squad means Woldingham can expect to see him playing against former professional cricketers from around the world in professional, semi-professional and invitational games this summer. Mr Outram, who also teaches maths at Woldingham, formerly was a semi-professional cricketer in South Africa.
Woldingham students are very fortunate to be learning the game with such experienced cricketers.