The Belfast Coaching Camp which was recently hosted by Civil Service North of Ireland Cricket Club (CSNI) proved a huge success with 39 boys and two girls aged 11-17 taking part.

The camp was led by former High Performance Director of Cricket at Cricket Ireland, Mark Garaway, who was accompanied by an array of the finest coaches in the NCU.

The boys who were split into three age groups were put through their paces and covered a range of batting skills such as power hitting, angles and using the crease, bowling skills such as yorkers, field settings, slower balls including over and around the wicket angles. The boys were made to cover every blade of the Stormont grass as the coaches carried out a number of fielding and catching drills.

Talking about the success of the camp, CSNI Chairman Ivan McMinn said: "The Belfast Coaching Camp continues to grow every year and I'm delighted to see so many young cricketers from clubs across Belfast and beyond taking part. From the feedback I received it was an enjoyable week for all involved and part of the success on this annual camp is due to the ongoing funding and operational assistance from Belfast City Council. We are already planning next year's Camp."

CSNI Club Captain, Andrew Cowden, who was also one of the coaches said: "I'm delighted to say once again that the Belfast Coaching Camp was a roaring success with 41 participants participating from seven different clubs. The addition of the very knowledgeable and experienced Mark Garaway this year was a fantastic learning experience for both players and coaches. Can I take this opportunity to thank all the coaches for their efforts during the week."

We would like to thank Mark Garaway and all coaches involved for taking the time to coach the boys, and also to thank the boys who took part - we are sure you have learnt a lot during the week.