Hot on the heels of being shortlisted for the ‘Sporting Achievement’ award in the Independent School of the Year Awards, we are thrilled to announce a new partnership with Northamptonshire County Cricket Club (NCCC), aimed at fostering cricket excellence in young cricketers across the school and county.
The collaboration formally brings together two esteemed institutions with a shared passion for the sport and, in doing so, will help promising young cricketers on their path to Northamptonshire County Cricket Club’s youth and academy teams. This strategic alignment aims to nurture talent and create a seamless transition for aspiring players.
The agreement will see our elite cricketers receive high-performance training; our existing cricket programme will be enhanced with NCCC’s expertise, giving coaches and players access to specialised training sessions, skill development programmes, and first-class facilities. Boys will also get the opportunity to meet the players at the NCCC ground and even take part in some of their training sessions.
In return, our picturesque grounds and superb facilities, such as the indoor and outdoor cricket nets and school gym, will be used by NCCC’s age-group cricket programme, benefitting young cricketers from across the county.
We already have strong links with the current NCCC team – Old Bedfordians Emilio Gay (11-18) and Gus Miller (15-20) have both worked with the boys on their game. For example, Emilio Gay recently made a ‘good luck for the season’ Instagram reel for the Bedford School boys.
James Hodgson, Head Master commented, “We’re delighted to officially join forces with NCCC. This partnership aligns perfectly with our commitment to holistic education and sporting excellence and together we will inspire the next generation of cricketers.”
We are proud to be known as one of the leading cricket schools in the country, with famous cricketing Old Bedfordians such as Sir Alastair Cook (98-03) who leads the long list of boys who have gone on to play the game professionally. The former England captain retired from the professional game in October 2023, reaching 12,472 test match runs and leaving him 5th in the all-time rankings for test match run scorers. Other recent OBs include Alex Wakely, James Kettleborough, Charlie Thurston and Harry Gouldstone.
