New Hall School Cricket Academy
The cricket academy was established in 2009, and has been moving forward ever since. It is an exciting time for cricket here at New Hall with our facilities and fixture lists growing every year.
The academy has been set up to address our cricketers' technical, physical and mental approach to the game. Player’s fitness levels are assessed at the start of the programme and then monitored throughout each term, we look for significant improvement in highlighted areas, for example a seam bowler improving his core strength or a batter improving his muscular endurance.
We have a fantastic link with Essex County Club, with both their girls and emerging players groups training at the school on a weekly basis. It is one of our aims to take boys and girls on to represent their county, region and country. We have a great team comprising staff who have experience at the highest level, to help players to achieve this standard. New Hall is delighted to have Ex-England and Essex cricketer Nasser Hussain OBE, as the cricket professional. Mr Hussain is potentially the most influential test and one day captain of the modern era and he works with our academy group and also takes highlighted individuals for one to one sessions.
New Hall allows young men and women to achieve their full potential by providing a comprehensive cricket programme to complement their school and everyday life style.
Facilities
The school has 4 state of the art outdoor nets, with the extended 8 metre run up. In this area, we also have the ability to have our 2 bowling machines working outside. Our main square sits in the stunning back drop of the Tudor palace with 12 strips that are highly used throughout the summer months. Wharton Pitch has an 8 wicket square which is used for up to Year 8 fixtures. The school has also invested in a large set of roll on covers for the senior wickets.
Throughout the winter months the indoor sports hall is used for training. The sports hall has 2 cricket lanes and a fielding and skills area, this is where we can focus on the technical analysis of a player using video analysis to identify and then correct any technical flaws. For physical training, each player is inducted and given a fitness programme for our multi gym, running track and indoor swimming pool, where we have specific core, cardio vascular, and muscular endurance areas, with state of the art technology machines. Players follow a specific training programme according to their age, height weight and cricketing discipline.
Cricket Developments
There are plans to develop 2 additional cricket squares and an astro wicket to be laid around the school which will allow us to play up to 6 games a weekend at home by 2013.
In 2010, New Hall was delighted to announce that former Essex & England Cricketer, Nasser Hussain, had joined the staff team as a professional cricket coach. Head of Cricket, Gareth James, himself a former Essex cricketer, commented: “To be able to have access to someone of Nasser’s experience and technical expertise is a huge privilege for us here at New Hall. Being able to work alongside someone who has been as influential as he has been within the world of cricket is nothing short of brilliant. His contribution to the game has been remarkable. For our young cricketers and our staff, the opportunity to learn from his experiences and advice will be invaluable. We have ambitious plans for New Hall Cricket and this will really drive us forward.”
Since then, Mr Hussain has become a valued member of staff at New Hall School and really boosted the players. He has also been instrumental in the success of New Hall's cricket camps which are held for children from other schools, as well as New Hall, to help train and develop the young cricketers of the future. 
Most recently, the New Hall cricket academy travelled to Abu Dhabi and Dubai to take play against some of the most prestigious schools in the Middle East and really showed what talent there is here.
To finish the 2011 cricket season, New Hall were crowned Essex Champions. The U12 team, having already beaten the likes of Chigwell, Felsted and Holmwood House, were having a fantastic run in the County Cup Tournament. After beating local rivals Brentwood by 8 wickets in the quarter final, the U12 team went on to have a comprehensive victory against Bancrofts School. In the final against King Edward VI Grammar School it was all to play for; the winners were not only to become County Champions but also would go through to the David English U13 National Competition the following year. New Hall started very impressively by only conceding 63 from 20 over’s, with Joshua Turner, Joshua Chapman and Gregory Spires being the pick of the bowlers. KEGS would not give up easily though with just 64 runs required for New Hall victory they were quickly put in their place as they were reduced to 5 for 2 in the second over. Some outstanding batting from Julian Whetstone and Gregory Spires along with vital contributions from the lower order meant that New Hall got over the line 8 down and were named for the first time as County Champions for Essex.
