In a ceremony earlier tonight at the Southgate Motel, Mount Gambier, 29 young cricketers were welcomed into the Chappell - Whitty Cricket Academy.

The Academy has been set up jointly by the Glenelg District Cricket Club and the Mount Gambier District Cricket Association to give juniors in the South East the best chance possible to develop their cricketing skills.

Each player making their test debut for Australia is given a uniquely numbered cap that they keep for their playing career. As part of the induction tonight, players were given a cricketing shirt and cap. The Chappell Whitty Academy caps are numbered too, following in this cricketing tradition. Nick McInerney was the lucky player who had his name drawn out of the hat to bear the Number 1 cricket cap.

The cricketers will train through the Mount Gambier winter in preparation for the upcoming cricket season. Training will focus on cricketing skills, however the Academy hopes to develop in each of the players a passion for the game that is loved by so many Australians.

The young cricketers will be coached by a team of three, led by Tim Dyer, a level 3 coach, as well as level 2 coaches Mick Ashby and Duncan Savage. The players in the academy will receive 1 on 1 training from the three coaches for an hour each week.

The Academy was named after the Chappell boys, as well as Bill Whitty (Cap Number 95), a lesser known Australian representative cricketer who lived in the South East after his test playing career finished. Members of the Whitty family were present in Mount Gambier tonight to witness the induction.

The twenty nine players inducted into the Academy tonight are Matt Allen, Alex Andrae, Thomas Ashby, Jake Blackwell, Jordan Briggs, Alex Carter, Nick Clayfield, Tyson Currie, Matt Dowling, Harrison Evans, Patrick Glynn, Aaron Lightbody, Jenna McCormick, Matt McInerney, Nick McInerney, Matt Merrett, Tim O'Brien, Matt O'Neill, Patrick Page, Jack Pudney, Jake Schutz, Ben Scowen, Dylan Silvy, Mark Smith, Matt Walmsley-Pace, Harry Walters, Nick Walters, Tom Williams and Josh Wright.

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