Loughborough given boost

Loughborough is to be home to the National Academy

The number of first-class sides in England has been extended to 22 after Loughborough University gained elevation for the 2003 season.

Loughborough, soon to be home to the National Academy, is the fourth University Centre of Cricketing Excellence (UCCE) to gain first-class status.

  University CCEs

First-class:
Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, Loughborough

Non first-class:
Cardiff, Bradford/Leeds

Traditional university powers Oxford and Cambridge were joined in 2002 by Durham UCCE, although three other UCCEs played county opposition regularly.

But Loughborough has won all three of the major university cricket competitions in the last two seasons.

And leading players Monty Panesar, Steve Selwood and Rob White have all gone on to perform well at county level.

The students start their 2003 campaign at Taunton on 12 April, where they take on Somerset in a three-day fixture.

English first-class fixtures 2003

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) director of cricket operations John Carr said the move had been made in recognition of the recent progress made at the university.

"I congratulate all those involved with the UCCE at Loughborough on this well deserved upgrade in cricketing status," Carr added.

Loughborough director of cricket Dr Guy Jackson hailed the move as a boost to the UCCE scheme of helping young players to develop their cricket whilst maintaining their education.

"This recognition is very welcome and reward for the work that head coach Graham Dilley and several others at the university have invested," he went on.