About me
I started playing cricket at junior school in the early 1970s, when I attended the Ilford Cricket School under Bill Morris. I have been playing Club cricket since 1975, mostly in Essex but also for three years in Cheshire.
I do still play regularly, having recently qualified for the Essex Seniors (over60s), but spend more time coaching — currently UKCC2 (ECB Coach), and always looking for learning opportunities.
My first experience of coaching others was at University, where I was “volunteered” to help the newly formed Ladies’ section, but it was not until 2009 that I started out on the formal coaching pathway, taking the old Level 1 qualification and coaching as a volunteer with the Colts’ section at the Oakfield Parkonians CC.
In 2013 I was made redundant from my marketing job in online publishing, and took the decision to become a full-time cricket coach.
I coached at the Lord’s Indoor Cricket Centre (formerly known as the MCC Cricket Academy) for 6 years (until the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns), specialising in group coaching with younger players from three years of age upwards. Post-lockdown, I returned to Lord’s, working with the U13 Performance and Development squads.
I also worked for the Essex County Cricket Board at the Essex Indoor Cricket Centre, Chelmsford, delivering 1-to-1 sessions with aspiring Pathway players.
I have coached the junior sections at both Oakfield Parkonians CC and Regent’s Park CC, and also worked with the men’s Cricket Club at Queen Mary University for two seasons, as well as delivering 1-to-1 programmes for players of all ages.
Before lockdown, I became an All Stars Cricket Activator, and Chance to Shine coach, and deliver sessions to support the Team Up initiative, taking cricket for girls into secondary schools.
I was a Tutor to All Stars and Dynamos Cricket Activators, and qualified as an ECB Coach Developer, to deliver Coach Education programmes & workshops.
About this site — the Teesra and social media
Persevering swing, rather than penetrative pace, best characterised my bowling (before age compelled me to transition to non-spinning off-breaks – I call them my “arm balls”). So look out for essays in this blog, rather than pithy epigrams – unlikely to be twitter-feed…although I do post on Mastodon (@theteesra@universeodon.com) and Bluesky (@theteesra.bluesky.social).
I’ll be writing here mostly on the Club game – coaching and developing young (and not so young) players, League rules, umpires (always with the greatest respect, of course, especially now I have joined the men in the white coats), why the game isn’t as good today as it was when I first started playing…
There might be a few diversions into the First Class arena…after all, we all think we know better than the pros and the England selectors!
Why “The Teesra”?
Back in 2004, Saqlain Mushtaq was reputed to be developing a new mystery delivery, to follow on from the doosra – the “other” or second delivery. It’s not clear if the teesra (the “third” one) ever was bowled in anger, or even exactly what the delivery might be, but this blog is dedicated to the ongoing search for cricketing innovation, and especially to “good cricket” (whatever that might be).
Andrew Beaven
The Teesra 