Harmony between cricket and academics provides "unique" results at Bede's School

Pupils can make cricket a priority as part of their studies

"If we can improve cricketers individually, winning becomes a byproduct."

Former England and Sussex cricketer Alan Wells has no reason to hide the secrets of Bede's School’s success. And why would he?

Five former pupils - Freya Kemp, Alice Capsey, Mary Taylor, Ryana MacDonald-Gay, and his son Luke - made appearances in The Hundred in 2023, and last summer saw plenty more silverware coming Bede's way: strong under-14 and under-15 sides lifted county cups, with the school’s girls making the hundred-ball national finals.

So how does Bede's achieve such prolific results?

^{Bede's School's U15 Girls team}

"We would be quite unique, I think, in offering 'academies' in each year group," says Wells. "From year nine they can choose in their curriculum to play cricket (as long as they’re playing at a good enough level). When other kids are doing academic lessons, these kids are doing cricket."

As they progress through the year groups, individual pupils then have the opportunity to intensify their cricket coaching further, to the extent of – and, Wells stresses, in consultation with the academic staff and parents – dropping a GCSE in favour of cricket. 

“If that gets better grades for his or her eight GCSEs because they’ve dropped the ninth one and they’ve had the chance to help fulfill their dreams of becoming professional cricketers, then why shouldn’t we do that?

"The most important thing about our cricket programme is contact time," says Wells, acknowledging the fact that having a head of academics (John Tuson) who fully 'gets' what sports can do for people enables him and the department's other coaches to extract the best from their students. 

"We set really high standards for them as individuals of Bede's. Not just in the cricket department but around school.

"Ultimately, if they're going to go on and play cricket at the highest level, they need to have high standards and disciplines. So we’re just setting them up to evolve. When they leave school, we want them to be in the best possible place they can be to go on to that next level."

But Wells and the Bede's cricket programme do not limit their students to success at the elite level – participation is another key element. 

"We give people of all abilities opportunities to improve their game – hopefully to become professional cricketers, or just turn up and have some fun.

"We have teams that cover all the ranges of abilities. For senior kids in their last year at school who just want to have a whack around with their mates, that's available, as well as the serious stuff as well. Participation is just as important to us as producing elite cricketers."