Over the course of the last 12 months, Middlesex Cricket’s ACE programme has gone from strength to strength under the watchful eye of Garfield Struthers – the Club’s ACE Development Officer.
The African Caribbean Engagement programme was founded in 2020 by Ebony Rainford-Brent in response to the decline of black British professional cricketers – which fell by 75% – and after finding out that less than 1% of the recreational game was represented by black cricketers.
Following trials in February at the Middlesex Indoor Cricket School, a squad of talented youngsters was formed, and the group benefited from increased contact time in order to further develop skills and take the next step on their cricketing journey.
Struthers naturally speaks passionately about the project and has been extremely pleased by the progress made by the 20 or so cricketers on the programme.
“There’s lots and lots of hunger,” says Struthers. “Because our programme is smaller, the kids really enjoy it as they get more of my time. They turn up, look forward to their sessions and indeed their matches during the summer.
“They played so many games, which was superb. We were in Birmingham, Shropshire, Yorkshire and Manchester; travelling all over the country which was a great experience for the group.”
The group had the benefit of playing at some of the top private schools in the country during 2024 – making the most of excellent facilities, affording them the best possible opportunity to showcase their talents, without having to worry about surfaces where there may be uneven bounce or the odd ball or two may stick in the pitch…
The younger ACE group faced Essex and Northamptonshire, whilst the senior players played against Scotland Under-19s – which was a great learning curve.
There was also a residential trip to Durham, with other counties involved. The feedback about the standard of cricket on display was pleasing to hear and something that Struthers is proud of.
“Coaches from other counties were interested in what we had to offer. They were asking who the kids were, where they were from, what club they played for, whether or not they had a county and so on,” Struthers explains.
“One of our lads, who was travelling down from Manchester played in a regional game and scored 150, and as a result, Lancashire have now poached him!”
However, a couple of players have been introduced into the Middlesex pathway and were called into Middlesex’s County Age Group winter training squads – hopefully starting long and fruitful spells at the Club.
“This is extremely pleasing, as this is what ACE is designed to do,” says Struthers. “The majority of players in our programme had a good season for both our ACE side and their clubs.
“It was great to see so much character. Resilience is something that these kids have a lot of. The game could be drifting and then all of a sudden someone produces an innings or a bowling spell of the highest quality that either shifts momentum or indeed wins the game.”
At the end of the summer, two ACE cricketers were awarded with professional contracts live on Sky Sports during the interval of a men’s One-Day International between England and Australia.
19-year-old seamer, Amy Wheeler, has signed a rookie deal with Blaze, whilst Troy Henry has also been rewarded with a crack at a county – although it is yet to be confirmed where he’ll be heading.
Speaking of the news, Struthers says: “It’s huge! To know you’re putting in the hard work and getting something at the end of it acts as a great motivator.
“Both of them had a great season and even more could have been in that position, but it boiled down to just a couple. There was a lot of competition, so we’ve said to everyone ‘just keep pushing’. Hopefully the two that were selected turn out to be great successes and have a great future in the game.”
Despite this amazing news, some aren’t as fortunate and don’t make it all the way to achieve the dream. However, it’s not all doom and gloom as ACE offers other opportunities than just playing.
Struthers explained that so much more is on offer and that career opportunities can be opened up in different areas of the professional game.
“The amazing thing about ACE is that we offer much more than just chasing the dream of becoming a professional cricketer. We are starting to pull more kids in. Yes, there’s a route for the playing side, but there’s also support if you want to become a physio, analyst or even a journalist.
“This is a good thing for us, because we always say, ‘you’re a part of us and are always welcome back.’”
Chasing the dream of becoming a professional athlete relies on the support of a network – namely family and friends. One thing that has been highlighted in the writing of this piece is the sense of community amongst both players and parents alike.
Struthers spoke with great energy about the feel of it all.
“Because there are so many kids in the programme, you are likely to meet someone new at every match. They came from far and wide which was excellent because it means we have so many players to choose from for any given fixture.
“Another big thing for me has been seeing how supportive the parents have been. They love the programme and travel with the kids to watch them all over the country. There is a real sense of community as parents exchange lifts from time-to-time and they have been getting to know each other from the get-go which has been great to see.”
There are trials to be held in November ahead of 2025, before another big year! Exciting times lie ahead and hopefully will bear the fruits of the ACE programme for many years to come…
