Derbyshire Boys’ Academy

Derbyshire County Cricket Club are delighted to announce the Boys’ Academy intake for the 2026 season.

The Academy, headed up by Head of Talent Pathway, Daryn Smit, will be working throughout the winter period with 12 young cricketers, from the ages of 16 to 19, training at The Central Co-op County Ground.

With the maximum age of the Pathway setup being increased to 19, this has allowed Ayman Karim, Joe Hall, Matty Stewart and Rohan Vallabhaneni another year in the Derbyshire setup.

The players will be working closely with Derbyshire County Cricket Club coaching staff and support staff including Ben Hutchinson (Player Pathway Coach), Mark Smallwood (Player Pathway Coach) and Chris Highton (Second XI Head Coach).

Seven new players come into the Academy for the first time, they are:

Manav Bopadra
Theo Brown
Oscar Edwards
Lucas Green
Joe Hall
Niall McHale
Rohan Vallabhaneni

The Academy squad for 2026 is as follows:

Manav Bapodra (Cutthorpe CC), Theo Brown (Swarkestone CC), Sam Cliffe (Leek CC), Oscar Edwards (Clifton CC), Jake Green (Spondon CC), Lucas Green (Spondon CC), Joe Hall (Woodhouse Grange CC, Yorks), Ayman Karim (Clifton Village CC, Notts), Zak Kelly (Clifton CC), Niall McHale (Milford Hall CC, Staffs), Matty Stewart (Chesterfield CC), Rohan Vallabhaneni (Newcastle & Hartshill CC, Staffs).

Daryn Smit said: “It is a really exciting time for our Pathway setup, over the past five years or so we have put robust systems in place and we are now starting to see the results as players transition into the first team.

“The Academy aims to give our young players the skills, work ethic, attitude and mentality in preparation for becoming a professional cricketer. At the same time, it is still important to remember they are still young and making sure they love every moment and the sport is imperative.”

Emerging Players Programme Squad

Derbyshire County Cricket Club is delighted to announce the Boys’ Emerging Players Programme intake for the 2026 season.

The Academy headed up by Daryn Smit (Head of Talent Pathway) will be working throughout the winter period with 10 young cricketers from the ages of 13 to 16, training at The Central Co-op County Ground.

The EPP aims to prepare Derbyshire’s young cricketers for life as a professional, with skills and gym-based activities conditioning the players to make that step up.

The EPP intake for 2026 is as follows:

Muhammad Abu Bakkar (Cavs & Carrington CC, Notts), Jake Bull (Rolleston CC), Tommy Bush (Cuckney CC), Lewis Dent (Rolleston CC), Archie Griffiths (Rolleston CC), Toby Newsome (Wirksworth & Middleton CC), Zachary Pryce-Williams (Hallam CC, Yorks), Josh Rosier (Quarndon CC), Finley Spinks (Brooke CC, Norfolk), Ben Wilson (Glossop CC).

The winter programme will consist of coaching for two hours at a time, twice a week, focusing on individual and small group work. The sessions replicate match scenarios as well as specific skills required for red and white ball cricket.

Ben Hutchinson said: “The success of the Academy and EPP has been exceptional over the past few seasons – and the group of players involved in the setup is extremely strong.

“We had record-high representation at Bunbury Festival this year with four players involved across the EPP. This is a great testament to the work being done to all our coaches that Derbyshire’s young cricketers are receiving the recognition they deserve.”