Cricket academy to hold open evening in Brighton

Keen schoolboy and schoolgirl cricketers are being invited to a sixth form open evening with a difference in Brighton.

The Aldridge Cricket Academy is holding the open evening to showcase its unique mix of sporting and academic education.

The open evening takes place at the Brighton Aldridge Community Academy (BACA) in Falmer next Wednesday (2 October) from 6pm.

The cricket academy is a partnership between BACA, the Portslade Aldridge Community Academy (PACA) and the Sussex County Cricket Board with the support of Sussex County Cricket Club.

It provides intensive training for male and female cricketers delivered by a dedicated team of ECB qualified coaches.

They are supported by other experts in the fields of strength and conditioning, sports psychology and coaching.

The cricket academy offers A-level courses and post-16 study programmes that integrate with the cricket academy training and development blocks.

This gives students the chance to develop their sporting talent and academic qualifications together

Traditionally students have had to choose between the two or have had the constant stress of dealing with conflicting training and college work schedules.

The cricket academy’s first students are already in training under the guidance of its director Alexia Walker.

She represented Sussex for more than 20 years and became their most capped player this summer.

She is joined by another key figure, Simon Funnell, the former cricket development manager with Sussex. He recently joined the Aldridge Academies as director of sport from the county side.