The state of English cricket may be in disarray after last month’s World Cup disaster, but this certainly wasn’t the case when Orwell Park School’s cricket squad held its first practice of the season in new artificial surface nets.

East Anglian Daily Times: Graham Gooch works on the grip of Orwell Park Bowler Orlando HillGraham Gooch works on the grip of Orwell Park Bowler Orlando Hill (Image: Archant)

And as the youngsters at the independent school launched their preparations for the new season, they received a visit from two top stars of the game.

Graham Gooch, ex-England and Essex captain, and John Childs, former England and Essex cricketer and now director of the Essex Cricket Academy dropped by to test out the team’s skills ahead of the season opener.

After being welcomed by Orwell Park’s headmaster Adrian Brown, who played in the same Essex championship winning side with Gooch, the pair proceeded to coach three teams of four boys in the finer points of the game.

Gooch, England’s top Test run scorer with 8,900, and Childs expressed their approval of the new facilities, the standard to which the boys are already playing, and were very appreciative of the way they put their coaching into practice.

The three-hour visit was the result of an auction at last Christmas’s gift fair which raised funds for the school’s charities.

“We are delighted to have such excellent facilities to coach cricket to the boys and girls at Orwell Park,” said headmaster Adrian Brown.

“The boys learnt a great deal from the visit from two such distinguished coaches and cricketers.”