Hampshire Cricket Player Pathway

The Hampshire Cricket Player Pathway consists of over 1,000 players competing for spots within our various squads. The pinnacle of the Junior Pathway is selection to Hampshire Academy. Leading into this young players will have the opportunity to play as part of our Regional Performance Centres (RPCs), County Age Groups (CAGs) and Junior / Senior Development squads across many different formats of the game.

Hampshire Cricket's player pathway system has produced players of international-standard to represent England such as: Chris Tremlett, Danny Briggs, James Vince, Liam Dawson and Mason Crane.

Find out more about Hampshire Cricket's player pathway system and how to enter the system on this page, or if you are a pathway player or the parent/guardian of a pathway player you can find appropriate information at the bottom of this page.

Overview

Hampshire Cricket's player pathway welcomes a number of young aspiring cricketers - both girls and boys - into the programme for the reasons listed below.

Aims of Player Pathway

• Produce cricketers who play for Hampshire and England across all formats.
• All players to enjoy their experience and time with Hampshire Cricket.
• To ensure that all players are given the opportunity to get as far as they can in the game.
• Aim to install a passion for Hampshire Cricket and the wider game itself.
• Contribute to helping boys to live a happy and healthy life through providing education in mental and physical wellbeing.

With over 1,000 players competing for spots in the various squads within the pathway, the system is designed to produce talented cricketers through Regional Performance Centres (RPC), County Age Groups (CAGs) and Development squads to filter through to the Hampshire Cricket Academy squad.

The Academy is the pinnacle of the pathway system and designed to develop outstanding cricketers capable of performing at the highest level for Hampshire and England.

Click here to view the full Hampshire Cricket Player Pathway Handbook.

Regional Performance Centres (RPCs) and County Age Group Squads (CAGs)

Although young cricketers can join onto the player pathway system at any stage within the pathway funnel, the earliest stage which players can join onto the system is within our Club Tier & Regional Performance Centres (RPCs) for those aged U9 - U11.

Once players from U9 - U11 have experienced a variety of playing formats within our Club Tier & RPCs, we then select for our County Age Groups (CAGs) teams, beginning at U12s, with the final year being U16s.

Alongside our CAG programme we will run Junior and Senior Development squads with the very best U18 players from Hampshire, Dorset, Isle of Wight and other affiliated National Counties, representing the Hampshire Academy team in the Southern Premier League and ECB 3-day, 50-over and T20 competitions held throughout the summer.

With the newly formed ECB competition, our U18s / Academy will play against other First-Class Counties across all formats of the game including 3-day matches.

Hampshire Cricket Academy

Alongside our CAG programme we run Junior and Senior Development squads with the very best U18 players from Hampshire, Dorset, Isle of Wight and other affiliated National Counties, representing the Hampshire Academy team in the Southern Premier League and ECB 3-day, 50-over and T20 competitions held throughout the summer.

With the newly formed ECB competition, our U18s / Academy will play against other First-Class Counties across all formats of the game including 3-day matches.

The Hampshire Cricket Academy is the pinnacle of the player pathway system, and aims to meet the following objectives:

Academy Objectives

• To identify and develop outstanding cricketers capable of performing at the highest level for Hampshire and England.
• To deliver cricketers fully-prepared for 1st class cricket when they graduate from the Academy.
• To support all aspects of a players' development, including technical, tactical, physical, mental and lifestyle.
• To make sure players leave the Academy knowing themselves better than when they arrived and with a good perspective on cricket and life.

Mission Statement: To create and maintain an environment where producing high class international cricketers and a hugely successful domestic team is inevitable.

Now recognised as one of the most respected and successful county cricket academies in the country, the Hampshire Academy has produced many talented cricketers who now excite and entertain the Hampshire supporters at Utilita Bowl.

In recent years Tom Prest, Toby Albert and Scott Currie are the latest young players to break into the 1st XI, joining other former Academy graduates such as Joe Weatherley, Tom Alsop and Lewis McManus, all playing regularly alongside International players Liam Dawson, James Vince and Mason Crane.

Access the full Hampshire Cricket Pathway Handbook via the link below to read more about the Hampshire player pathway funnel, selection and talent ID process, benefits of being part of the pathway, who's who in the Academy squad and coaching staff, and more about which Hampshire and England players - past and present - came through our Academy system.

Player Pathway Documents

Please see below the three key Hampshire Cricket Player Pathway documents via the relevant links below:

Information For Pathway Players

Players on the Hampshire Cricket pathway can access Hampshire's New Balance training and playing kits on the online player pathway store, which can be accessed via the link below.

Parents and Guardians of pathway players can support the young players and Hampshire Cricket with the Official New Balance supporter wear, which is available to browse and purchase via the link below.