)}})
Lewis Delivers Bowling Masterclass
The Somerset Cricket Academy is now in full swing and last week Somerset Club Captain, Lewis Gregory spent an evening delivering a bowling masterclass that was very much appreciated by all of the young bowlers in the group.
All rounder, Kian Roberts, who is in his final year on the Academy talked about the Somerset Captain’s input.
“It was really good to hear his perspective on what he does during games and how he goes about getting people out when he is swinging the ball away or when he is swinging the ball back in. He also talked about the variations he has in T20.
“He is where we all want to be ultimately. We want to be in the First Team, so to have Lewis come and work with us meant a huge amount to me. For him to take the time to come and coach us was something very special and it meant a huge amount to me.
“Lewis and I bowl quite similarly, so hearing how he goes about his game days and what he thinks about when he’s running in to bowl and when he’s bowling clicked with me.
“I think that the session with Lewis has been one of the high spots of my time on the Academy to date.”
Alex Barrow, the Boys Academy Lead Coach, said: “It’s really powerful for the Club Captain to come in and for the Academy boys to meet Lewis and vice versa. It was also great for Lewis to see the talent that we have. It was really beneficial for the Academy seamers to have Lewis among them, to interact with him and have the opportunity to ask him questions to benefit their own development.
“His journey was a little bit different because when he was on the Academy, Lewis didn’t bowl a huge amount so he has had to learn all his skills whilst playing First Class cricket, and that’s what I wanted to tap into.
“Lewis talked about how he’s developed his skill set and about the nuances and knowledge he’s gained through his experiences. The seamers on the Academy were able to explore and play around with that through the session that Andrew Griffiths with Lewis there to provide his insights.
“It gave these guys more awareness of how to get top batters out like Lewis has done over his career. That was the purpose from a skill point of view, and try to accelerate their learning and provide them with valuable insight. We have seen those areas transfer into the skills sessions and there has been some great learning and continued exploration.
“He’s got such a positive outlook on how he looks to go about things and he is very willing to explore within his game and that comes from backing and trusting himself through the work and success he has had.
“Lewis was here on the Academy 15 years ago so to get back and speak to the current group of seamers, who at some point we hope will play with him was great. Hopefully, we will see those skills come into the Under 18s this year and also into Second XI and School cricket, which is where we want to see these guys developing their game and performing using the skills they are learning and speaking about.”
