January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.

Edness: Young players are starting to deliver


By Don [email protected] | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

Bermuda wicket-keeper Jekon Edness believes 'going pro' has helped the island's next generation of cricketers finally deliver on their potential.

The 24-year-old was contracted full-time by the Bermuda Cricket board for the summer along with Stephen Outerbridge and young spinners Rodney Trott and Tamauri Tucker.

The four have been in intensive training in the lead up to the Canadian tour as part of the board's pioneering 'high performance development programme'.

And Edness believes the work has paid off with the foursome, who all played key roles in the 2-1 ODI series win, now looked on as 'senior' players.

"None of the older guys are around so it's been up to guys like myself, Stephen and Rodney who have played a lot of cricket on and off the island.

"I guess people got tired of us not really producing but we are starting to finally deliver on our potential."

Edness said the high performance programme had involved cricket-specific skills, gym work and coaching schoolkids as well as regular national team training sessions.

"It's as close to being professional as it gets. It seems to have benefited all of us because we've all done reasonably well on this tour."

The Somerset Cup Match keeper, who plays at the University Centre of Cricketing Excellence in Cardiff, admits his performances on previous tours have not been up to scratch.

"I always felt I was capable of more but I looked on it as a learning curve. I took the bad performances and thought I'd try to work on them.

"I felt I really had to show my worth to the team. If I keep working the good things will keep coming."

Edness has been in good form behind the stumps and with the bat so far this tour.

He won the game for Bermuda in the first ODI, coolly hitting a six and a four in the last over with his team needing nine runs to win in a nailbiting final over.

He followed that knock of 18 not out with scores of 35 and 17 not out in the next two ODIs.

Now he is looking for a big innings in the four-day Intercontinental Cup game, which starts today. "I hope to just stay there and bat as long as possible. I've got used to their bowlers and I'm looking to hopefully get a bigger innings. We're looking to win but it's a four-day game. It's a different format and they have more experience than us. We have to be patient and work hard."

Edness, who believes he is on his way to making the wicket-keepers spot his own, said confidence and enthusiasm was high in the camp after a series that was, for many of the players including himself, their first series win with the national squad.

"It feels really good. We are just reaping the reward for the work we've put in.

"Everybody was really sweating in training today (Thursday), working hard, diving around in the field, putting in the extra yards for their country."

Bermuda v Canada

Four-Day Intercontinental Cup match

Starts today, midday Bermuda time in King City, Toronto. n





The 24-year-old was contracted full-time by the Bermuda Cricket board for the summer along with Stephen Outerbridge and young spinners Rodney Trott and Tamauri Tucker.

The four have been in intensive training in the lead up to the Canadian tour as part of the board's pioneering 'high performance development programme'.

And Edness believes the work has paid off with the foursome, who all played key roles in the 2-1 ODI series win, now looked on as 'senior' players.

"None of the older guys are around so it's been up to guys like myself, Stephen and Rodney who have played a lot of cricket on and off the island.

"I guess people got tired of us not really producing but we are starting to finally deliver on our potential."

Edness said the high performance programme had involved cricket-specific skills, gym work and coaching schoolkids as well as regular national team training sessions.

"It's as close to being professional as it gets. It seems to have benefited all of us because we've all done reasonably well on this tour."

The Somerset Cup Match keeper, who plays at the University Centre of Cricketing Excellence in Cardiff, admits his performances on previous tours have not been up to scratch.

"I always felt I was capable of more but I looked on it as a learning curve. I took the bad performances and thought I'd try to work on them.

"I felt I really had to show my worth to the team. If I keep working the good things will keep coming."

Edness has been in good form behind the stumps and with the bat so far this tour.

He won the game for Bermuda in the first ODI, coolly hitting a six and a four in the last over with his team needing nine runs to win in a nailbiting final over.

He followed that knock of 18 not out with scores of 35 and 17 not out in the next two ODIs.

Now he is looking for a big innings in the four-day Intercontinental Cup game, which starts today. "I hope to just stay there and bat as long as possible. I've got used to their bowlers and I'm looking to hopefully get a bigger innings. We're looking to win but it's a four-day game. It's a different format and they have more experience than us. We have to be patient and work hard."

Edness, who believes he is on his way to making the wicket-keepers spot his own, said confidence and enthusiasm was high in the camp after a series that was, for many of the players including himself, their first series win with the national squad.

"It feels really good. We are just reaping the reward for the work we've put in.

"Everybody was really sweating in training today (Thursday), working hard, diving around in the field, putting in the extra yards for their country."

Bermuda v Canada

Four-Day Intercontinental Cup match

Starts today, midday Bermuda time in King City, Toronto.

[[In-content Ad]]

Comments:

You must login to comment.

The Bermuda Sun bids farewell...

JUL 30, 2014: It marked the end of an era as our printers and collators produced the very last edition of the Bermuda Sun.

Events

November

SU
MO
TU
WE
TH
FR
SA
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
27 28 29 30 31 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30

To Submit an Event Sign in first

Today's Events

No calendar events have been scheduled for today.