Ex-England bowler helps Charterhouse charges prepare for the pro game

Martin Bicknell puts mentoring at front and centre of school's programme

Charterhouse School has a history of creating professional cricketers from their programme.

Since the school’s cricket set up was stepped up, they have produced 80 first-class cricketers, which included six Test cricketers and three England captains. And while the production line has slowed down in recent times, the infrastructure remains. 

With Martin Bicknell, former England cricketer, as the head of cricket, there is both technical and mental guidance on how to step into the professional game. 

Bicknell said: "Being able to show people that there is a way to go professional, guiding people in that way. My background having played at that level. I can give them a lot of insight into what is required to get to that level. 

"From a coaching perspective, I am well qualified to offer advice in all aspects. Mentoring is probably more important. Simple things around success and failure. What a good day and a bad day looks like. How you can deal with those things. That is just as important as dealing with the technique side of things.

"Once they get to that professional level, it is a pretty cruel game when it comes to success and failure. Sometimes you are coming out of a private school with a slightly cosy environment into a very harsh environment. Getting the balance and preparation is really important."

For those that has designs on making a career out of their love for the game and their talent, there are "one to one" sessions, but the programme also accommodates for the "casual cricketer".

There are three sessions a week throughout the summer for everyone but, in Bicknell's words, pupils will "get as much as they want".

He added: "They might not always want to do an extra session. They are playing to enjoy it rather than seeing it as a career."

The biggest area of improvement for the school's cricket programme is their girls' section, which has been fully in place since they went co-ed in 2021.

"That's a culmination of probably four years of work to upskill and also develop our programme," Bicknell explained.

"The girls get the same opportunities as the boys, same training time. It's a bit of a culture shift in our school to make sure the girls are fully invested in cricket. We take it just as seriously as the boys and give them every opportunity."

The girls' U15s and 1st XI have both won the Surrey Cup in the last two years.

The Cricketer would like to thank Durant Sports for their ongoing support of our schools cricket coverage. For more on Durant Sports, including booking a site visit, click here.