Sandy Strang: National Academy is Wright for game

HE'S WON more Scottish caps than any other, having represented his country an astonishing 194 times. He's still competing successfully at Premier club level, steering resurgent Watsonians to victory over Clydesdale on Saturday. Yet Paisley-born Saltires legend Craig Wright, now Cricket Scotland's performance development manager, had to wait until well after his 23rd birthday for his first call-up to the full national side.

Hence his unbridled passion for the recently-instituted National Academy. "I came through the youth system in the 1990s," explains Wright, "playing internationals at under-16 and under-19 levels, after which I basically disappeared off the major representative radar. It took years of hard work and perseverance to come through this black hole, and eventually get the nod from the full international selectors.

"I'm not the only one to whom that happened. Aberdeenshire wicketkeeper Colin Smith, another of our most capped performers, had to wait until he was in his 27th year before winning his first cap." Smith then went on to claim 206 victims!

"There clearly was a gap here through which potential international players were falling," explains Wright. "That's one big reason why our under-19 team playing in the Premier League has been replaced this season by a national academy side, allowing older boys to remain for longer in the loop, and further bridge the gap between youth and senior international level."

Wright manages this team, and early-season SNCL wins over Clydesdale and Aberdeenshire, allied to two victories over Durham Academy, indicate that his charges are responding well to the challenge. "Coaching and winter nets do have their due and proper place, but the real learning takes place on the field of play," Wright stresses. "We are also beginning to reap the benefits of our academy scholarships programme," he adds, alluding to the scheme set up in 2008 between Cricket Scotland and Telford College, whose Cricket Performance Course – incorporating skills sessions, strength and conditioning programmes, sports psychology and an overseas academy placement – allows some of our best young cricketers to train and play full-time while still remaining in further education.

A successful first year saw two of the initial batch of seven players, Arbroath keeper Marc Petrie and team-mate Matthew Parker, now of Forfarshire, make their full Scotland debuts. A third Arbroath lad, Calvin Burnett, along with Greenock's Willie Rowan and Penicuik's Keith Morton, have graduated to the Scotland Lions team, while the other two involved, Dumfries's Tom McBride and Watsonians' Paddy Sadler, ex-Corstorphine, soon to further his academic and cricketing education at Cambridge, have also made an SNCL impact.

Lewis and 'Z' lift for Langloan

FIRST Division side Drumpellier haven't had their troubles to seek lately. The arrival of Indian pro KS Sahabuddin, who eventually took the field on Saturday, had been interminably delayed, while stalwart skipper Graeme McLaren suffered a freak injury whilst batting beautifully at Arbroath on the season's opening day.

But the Langloan side, ever resilient, cast their troubles behind them in last week's comprehensive rout of struggling Stenhousemuir. Step forward overseas amateur Greg Lewis from Sydney, and Zaheed Mohammed from North Lanarkshire, who both recorded centuries in a scintillating opening partnership of 269 en route to a team score of 305 for 2.

"Jack Nicol, our captain during the Drumps glory years of Budhi Kunderan, Sandy Brown, Tom Porteous and Billy McPate cannot recall an opening stand of anywhere near that dimension," says club spokesman Alan Stevenson, whose own wealth of experience can take him back through three decades of senior cricket at Langloan, not to mention 14 Scottish caps.

"Zaheed's feat is especially meritorious," adds Stevenson. "He was the league's second highest run-scorer last season, averaging 47 in 13 innings, and although not the most athletic mover in the field, is a lovely striker of the ball.

"The Regional Series selectors may well have the accent firmly on youth, but they could do worse than give consideration to 'Z'. He would certainly have been picked at representative level under the old district set-up."

Meanwhile, partner Lewis followed up his Stenhousemuir 130 with a further fine 97 in Saturday's impressive away win at Ayr.

Shuga blitz carries on the big hitting

GREGOR Maiden's unbeaten 166 from only 151 balls against Dunfermline in early May is already a leading contender for the innings of the season.

But the 86-times capped Grange all-rounder, who smacked another undefeated 99 against Greenock at the weekend, has another challenger. Cue Abid Shuga, of Victoria CC, Glasgow. The Western Union League Division 1 Evening League side's opening bat, responding to Glasgow Accies' highly respectable 164 in 20 overs, bludgeoned his way to victory in only the tenth over, reaching his own personal century milestone in a mere 30 balls.

That's a strike rate which, if maintained, would amount to a team score of over 800 in the 50-over format.

Richard Andrew then reciprocated with his own brand of destructive hitting for Accies against Meikleriggs on Saturday, racking up a gargantuan 177 in only 146 balls as the Anniesland side posted an incredible 352 for 3, following on from Andrew's quick-fire unbeaten 98 which knocked SNCL side Poloc out of the Rowan Cup.