Former Somerset batsman Robin Lett gives an insight into life behind-the-scenes playing for the ECB outfit that gives county cricketers a second chance.
The Unicorns were set up in October 2009 by the ECB as a way of bridging the gap between the amateur game and the professional game, with a view also to giving cricketers released from their counties a way back onto the county circuit. For the past two seasons they have played in the Clydesdale Bank 40, pitting themselves against the pros and, in many cases, holding their own. The phrase ‘shop window’ gets bandied about when talking about the Unicorns, and in many ways it perfectly sums up the opportunity you receive when you pull on their jersey.
When I turned up at Malvern College in January this year for the first Unicorns trial, I didn’t really know what to expect. I arrived to a room full of expectant and rather nervous-looking faces as we prepared to be addressed by head coach Phil Oliver and captain Keith Parsons. I knew Keith well from Somerset and had batted alongside him on my debut, and 2011 was to be his second season as Unicorns skipper. Phil had been in charge of the Minor Counties side for a few years so I guess that made him perfectly qualified for the job. By the end of a weekend that included nets, fielding and bleep tests, the 120 hopefuls had been whittled down to 30.
The final trial was again based at Malvern College over a weekend. We were put through our paces in every aspect of the game and by the end of it we had our 18. The level of commitment from the players and standard of performance astonished me. You had 30 guys, all having worked a 40-hour week, busting a gut to get themselves in the squad.
The ECB has done fantastically well in ensuring that the Unicorns have everything they need to give them the best possible chance. A head coach, bowling coach, team manager and physio are in place for every game and at every trial, and then there are the fantastic training facilities at Malvern. The other perk to being involved with the Unicorns is the opportunity to play and train at Wormsley during the summer. Anyone who has ever been there to watch a game of cricket will know what I mean. With its picturesque pavilion and glorious backdrops, it is a truly wonderful setting.
In 2010, the Unicorns had won three games and competed well in several others, leading to three players gaining county contracts. The 2011 crop could have been as successful had a little luck gone our way. We should really have won at least two of our first three games, probably all of them in truth, but our batting repeatedly let us down throughout the season. As for me, the standards I set for myself less than a year previously were simply not achievable as the strain of a full week coaching and the lack of training took its toll. I can’t begin to describe how difficult it is to try and compete with professionals on a Sunday without being able to get in front of a bowling machine three or four times a week and I take my hat off to those Unicorns that have managed to stand up and get themselves noticed.
Click here to read Robin Lett’s interview with the Unicorns’ biggest success story to date in part two of Walking With Unicorns.
Walking With Unicorns
Former Somerset batsman Robin Lett gives an insight into life behind-the-scenes playing for the ECB outfit that gives county cricketers a second chance.
The Unicorns were set up in October 2009 by the ECB as a way of bridging the gap between the amateur game and the professional game, with a view also to giving cricketers released from their counties a way back onto the county circuit. For the past two seasons they have played in the Clydesdale Bank 40, pitting themselves against the pros and, in many cases, holding their own. The phrase ‘shop window’ gets bandied about when talking about the Unicorns, and in many ways it perfectly sums up the opportunity you receive when you pull on their jersey.
When I turned up at Malvern College in January this year for the first Unicorns trial, I didn’t really know what to expect. I arrived to a room full of expectant and rather nervous-looking faces as we prepared to be addressed by head coach Phil Oliver and captain Keith Parsons. I knew Keith well from Somerset and had batted alongside him on my debut, and 2011 was to be his second season as Unicorns skipper. Phil had been in charge of the Minor Counties side for a few years so I guess that made him perfectly qualified for the job. By the end of a weekend that included nets, fielding and bleep tests, the 120 hopefuls had been whittled down to 30.
The final trial was again based at Malvern College over a weekend. We were put through our paces in every aspect of the game and by the end of it we had our 18. The level of commitment from the players and standard of performance astonished me. You had 30 guys, all having worked a 40-hour week, busting a gut to get themselves in the squad.
The ECB has done fantastically well in ensuring that the Unicorns have everything they need to give them the best possible chance. A head coach, bowling coach, team manager and physio are in place for every game and at every trial, and then there are the fantastic training facilities at Malvern. The other perk to being involved with the Unicorns is the opportunity to play and train at Wormsley during the summer. Anyone who has ever been there to watch a game of cricket will know what I mean. With its picturesque pavilion and glorious backdrops, it is a truly wonderful setting.
In 2010, the Unicorns had won three games and competed well in several others, leading to three players gaining county contracts. The 2011 crop could have been as successful had a little luck gone our way. We should really have won at least two of our first three games, probably all of them in truth, but our batting repeatedly let us down throughout the season. As for me, the standards I set for myself less than a year previously were simply not achievable as the strain of a full week coaching and the lack of training took its toll. I can’t begin to describe how difficult it is to try and compete with professionals on a Sunday without being able to get in front of a bowling machine three or four times a week and I take my hat off to those Unicorns that have managed to stand up and get themselves noticed.
Click here to read Robin Lett’s interview with the Unicorns’ biggest success story to date in part two of Walking With Unicorns.