Two former Millfield Prep cricketers sign for Somerset

Two former Millfield Prep cricketers have signed two-year contracts for Somerset County Cricket Club at the Cooper Associates County Ground in Taunton.

Eighteen-year-olds Sam Young from Radstock and Kasey Aldridge from Bristol have joined the playing staff after progressing through the club’s academy and emerging player programmes. Lewis Goldsworthy from Cornwall also signed with the club after joining Millfield in Lower Sixth. The three players were instrumental to the Meyers XI first team and left Millfield in June 2019.

Millfield Cricket has strong links with Somerset County Cricket Club, with a number of former pupils going on to play for the strong county side, including David Graveney, Robert Turner, Luke Sutton, James Hildreth, Craig Kieswetter, Max Waller and George Bartlett. At Millfield Prep, Cricket is the major summer game. A full fixture list allows every child the opportunity to participate. Matches start for the U8 teams and we currently run a total of 14 sides in six age-groups, also playing  ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ matches at U13, U12 and U11 levels. The 1st XI, U12s and Development Squads have regular fixtures against county age-group teams such as Somerset, Devon, Gloucester and Cornwall, as well as those from South Wales. It is possible to play up to eleven home games on a Wednesday or Saturday on the beautifully prepared pitches and grounds. Girls’ Cricket is a curriculum sport for all year groups in the summer, with regular match play opportunities. Millfield Prep play pairs cricket matches against local schools and the Senior Development Team play 30 over hard ball matches against county teams from Somerset, Gloucester, Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. The girls’ team have won the National Indoor title at Lord’s twice.

Millfield is building a state-of-the-art Indoor Cricket facility, which will include new PitchVision technology on three lanes, a 4G fielding area, three adaptable bowling and batting surfaces, as well as five nets and an expansive 22 metre run-up, and will place the school at the forefront of school and university facilities for cricket. Building work for the new Millfield Indoor Cricket Centre is underway, and the facility will open in the new year.

Somerset Director of Cricket, Andy Hurry, says “We have been extremely impressed by Kasey, Lewis and Sam during the time that they have been with the Somerset Academy and the progress that they have made in the last 12 months has been exceptional. The manner in which they have transitioned from Academy level in to the Second XI has been seamless. Their attitude, application and dedication to succeed is exemplary and we look forward with interest to seeing their progress over the next year.

“Somerset County Cricket Club has a long and successful history of working alongside Millfield School to help produce outstanding young players and we hope that Kasey, Lewis and Sam can follow in the footsteps of their predecessors and cement a place in our First XI for many years to come.”