Council appoints region's first full-time Cricket Development Officer
Monday, August 22 2005
Scottish Borders Council, in partnership with Cricket Scotland, has appointed Neil Cameron as the region's first full-time Cricket Development Officer.
Neil will work closely with SBC's Sports Development Unit in Galashiels to implement Cricket Scotland's National Development Plan. The position is funded by sportscotland through the Social Inclusion Partnership Fund, Cricket Scotland and the Borders' Cricket Clubs.
Neil previously held the post part time, and, as a holiday scheme coach and regular visitor to Borders primary schools, is already a well kent face in the region. During the summer term of 2004 he visited 23 primary schools and brought cricket taster sessions to approximately 700 children. He also initiated Kwik Cricket tournaments at a number of Borders clubs. During the summer term 2005, a further 41 primary schools received taster sessions.
Neil has also been delivering holiday and Fit Kids programme that will introduce more than 1,000 primary and high school children to cricket, many for the first time.
Over the coming months, Neil will be meeting all Borders clubs to assess their needs and requirements. His main areas of concern will be junior participation and club development, plus increasing the numbers of qualified coaches and education staff with basic cricket coaching qualifications.
Neil has a long association with cricket north and south of the border, both as a player and administrator. He first propelled a cricket ball at the age of seven, at school in Wiltshire, and has never looked back, playing mostly in Wiltshire and Yorkshire.
Latterly, at Peebles County, he was part of a committee that has transformed the club's fortunes from one which struggled to raise an XI on a Saturday for its East League commitments to one which now boasts three senior weekend teams (two East League and one Borders Reserve League), a senior midweek team, five ECB qualified coaches, summer-term visits to all Tweeddale Primary Schools, an active junior programme at under-11s, under-13s and under-15s (several 16/17 year olds hold down regular 1st XI places) and ground improvements and training schedules that have transformed the playing skills of its members.
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