words Richard Thomas pictures Steve Pope
In recent years there has talk of a So how did the move from the grunt and “If you look at the basics of cricket it is
Taffia inside the England and Wales groan world of rugby get him into the, running, catching, jumping and throwing.
Cricket Board with Welsh influence arguably, more genteel world of cricket?
in several significant positions. “In the past there have been some
“I was working at Cardiff RFC, Jane James fantastic cricket players, but they could
That has included the likes of David was the club physio and her husband Steve have been so much better if they had been
Morgan, Matthew Maynard, and Dean was captain of Glamorgan,” explained faster, fi tter and more athletic.
Conway, who have been ECB chairman, Bevan.
England assistant coach and England “Cricket is a much more protracted game
physio respectively. “At the time Glamorgan were trying to but the actual activities are very dynamic.
improve their conditioning. I think they They are relatively short bursts of activity,
As well as that Hugh Morris currently were quite forward-thinking.” requiring high movement speed. Rapid
holds the most important job in the sport change of direction, bowling, running two
– managing director of England cricket. Gradually Bevan got himself a reputation runs, throwing 70 metres.
as an expert in strength and conditioning
Now that tradition of Welsh infl uence at a time when cricket was becoming “There has been comparisons done in
is continuing since the appointment of more aware of player fi tness. South Africa between cricketers and
Huw Bevan as England’s strength and rugby players, but when you talk about
conditioning coach. “The ECB side of things didn’t come in abilities there are some fundamental
until last November. I had parted company similarities.
Bevan, now 46, has moved into the cricket with the Ospreys and had got involved
sphere having honed a playing and then in Tennis and Welsh amateur boxing,” he “The principles of improving speed, agility
conditioning-coach career in rugby union. explained. and endurance are transferable between
Many will remember him as an abrasive the needs of each sport.
hooker with Cardiff, Bridgend and “Then the opportunity came up with
Swansea during the 1980s and ‘90s. the ECB and I was appointed as National “One of my remits is to develop and
Cricket Performance Centre conditioning online programming tool to keep record
After retiring from rugby he went into coach and I took six young bowlers to on individual players.”
conditioning full-time and was the Florida.
Ospreys fi tness coach before a complete Bevan, who says he is more than enjoying
change in direction took him into tennis, “I also went to South Africa with the his new role, is now embarking on a very
amateur boxing and then international England Under-19s last winter as well as busy 12 months or so that starts with an
cricket. the Under-18s to Malaysia 11 week tour of South Africa this winter.
“I did the conditioning coach role at “I was asked to do the World Twenty20 “After the South Africa tour we head
Cardiff RFC while I was still playing for and then the Ashes series and now the off to Bangladesh for three weeks and
them and the role gradually grew,” said role is England and NCPC conditioning after that we go to the West Indies for
Bevan who retired from playing 1996. coach.” the World Twenty20 and three weeks
after that we have Bangladesh for a home
“Injuries, the move from teaching (he One may think that there is a massive series, Australia for a one-day series,
was a PE teacher at Heolddu School in difference between the strength and followed by Pakistan.”
Bargoed) into conditioning all sort of conditioning of a rugby player, playing
merged into one. an explosive game over 80 minutes and And if that was not enough there is
a cricketer taking part in a non-contact another Test series in Australia next
“When the regions came in I joined the sport played over as many as fi ve days. winter where England will hope to make a
Ospreys with Lyn Jones and Sean Holley. I better defence of the Ashes than they did
also did the Wales Under 21’s with people “If you look at the top cricket sides they Down Under last time.
like Ryan Jones, Gavin Henson, Mike are full of athletes and part of my initial
Phillips and Adam Jones.” remit in cricket was to make them more If they do succeed then Bevan’s infl uence
athletic,” he revealed. in strength and conditioning is bound to
have an effect on performance.
sportingwales
issue9twothousand&nine
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