At the start of 2022, the WCB welcomed two new Cricket Development Coaches to the team. Shahzeb Raja and Charlie Greening will primarily be involved in coaching Chance to Shine schools’ sessions, but are also taking on other community, county age group and elite coaching roles.
Shahzeb is already a familiar face to many participants in WCB schools and community programmes, having previously provided cover for Shozair Ali when he was injured. A recent graduate in Sports Science from Wolverhampton University, Shahzeb worked part-time in cricket coaching during his degree course, assisting Eaton Gordon with Chance to Shine Street sessions in Spark Hill. In addition to his work in schools, Shahzeb will also lead Chance to Shine Youth Street projects in Spark Hill and Erdington.
Charlie’s journey into the WCB team has been different from Shahzeb’s. Having undertaken an apprenticeship in Halesowen primary school, Charlie gained a Level 3 qualification in Applied Teaching in PE & Sport. His move into full time cricket coaching comes after four years as a Multi Skills PE Teacher. Charlie is used to being in schools and is excited to be spreading his wings. “It will be great to go into loads of different schools with WCB and Chance to Shine, rather than just being in the same school all the time,” Charlie reveals. Like Shahzeb, Charlie will be coaching Chance to Shine schools’ sessions in around 8-10 primary schools each week. His coaching role with WCB will also involve him in the following
- Jaguars Development Centre for U14 & U16 County Development squads on Sundays
- Spinners Skills Set coaching at Edgbaston on Saturdays
- County Age Group boys U11s & U12s on Wednesdays and Fridays
Let’s find out a little more about our two new WCB Cricket Development Coaches in our ‘Getting to Know You’ quickfire quiz.
| Question | Charlie’s Answer | Shahzeb’s Answer |
| What’s the best part of your new role? | Going into lots of different schools and settings, finding out how they do things differently there and learning from that. | Changing children’s perceptions of cricket by making the game fun and enjoyable for them. Also, the opportunity to learn from other coaches and colleagues. |
| Which coach has inspired you and been a good role model for you? | My previous boss, Stuart How, who got me into coaching in the first place. He’s always pushed me to develop as a coach and keep learning. He even encouraged me to go for this job at WCB. | Kadeer Ali was my county age group and club coach. He is great at giving me tips or drills and will always answer my questions. So does Shozair Ali. I am thankful to them, and they keep me grounded. |
| Do you play cricket and if so, who for? | Yes, I play for the 1st team at Moseley Ashfield CC. I’m an off-spinning all-rounder. | Yes, I play for the 1st team at West Bromwich Dartmouth CC. I’m a pace bowling all-rounder. |
| Which well-known cricketer has a similar skillset to you? | Graeme Swann | Jacques Kallis |
| Who’s your favourite ever Bear? | Chris Woakes | Brian Lara |
| What are your interests outside cricket? | Golf, football, snooker and pool. I just can’t sit at home doing nothing! | Football – I play 9 a side football every week. It’s fun but we play serious. I also like shopping for trainers. |
| What’s your favourite film? | Goal | Coach Carter |
| What’s on your playlist for your cricket sessions? | Tell Me Something Good, by Ewan McVicar is currently on my playlist for the county age group and development teams. | I’m going old school with Tiny Tempah’s Written in the Stars - it’s a motivational song. |
Both Shahzeb and Charlie talk about how much they are looking forward to their coaching roles at WCB. “I’ve always wanted to do this sort of job,” says Shahzeb. “A job where you wake up looking forward to the day and don’t really feel like you are going to work. I have always wanted to coach cricket, so for this to be my first full time job is amazing. I am looking forward to learning other coaching philosophies from my colleagues and putting it all together to make me a better coach”.
“So far, the job has been awesome,” continues Shahzeb. “I feel the responsibility of getting things right and doing the best I can to keep moving forward. It’s my job to go into schools full of energy and smiling, to make sure the children enjoy cricket and want to play the game for the rest of their lives.”
Charlie agrees and has a similarly positive mindset. “This role means much more than just going into schools and coaching cricket. It’s an opportunity for me to be involved in a sport I love and to inspire others to play it. As well as being able to go into lots of schools, it’s also nice to feel the buzz from the children because as coaches we are someone new and different from their usual teacher. That gives us a buzz ourselves as a coaching team from seeing them enjoy the sessions so much.”
“It’s also brilliant to see the progression the children make, not just in cricket but in their behaviour too,” Charlie adds. “In the Chance to Shine sessions we focus on both cricket skills and social skills. As well as batting and fielding drills, for example, we will also work on listening and teamwork skills. It is so good week on week when you can see that the children are listening more in sessions and their teachers give feedback that they are concentrating better in class.”
Welcome to the WCB team Charlie and Shahzeb. Charlie has chosen ‘Tell Me Something Good’ as his playlist track. Well, we’ll tell you something good – we’re looking forward to an amazing 2022 of cricket at the WCB with Charlie and Shahzeb on board.
