Jofra Archer welcomes the BACA Cricket squad back to school

Sussex & England superstar, Jofra Archer, made a surprise visit to Brighton Aldridge Community Academy (BACA) on Thursday 15th September to welcome and inspire all the new and returning cricketers.

Through a long-standing partnership with Sussex Cricket, BACA’s cricket programmes provide state school pupils with the best opportunity to break into the top tiers of men’s and women’s cricket.  

As part of the Aldridge Cricket Academy Media Day, the students at BACA spent time finding out more about the international fast bowler in a question and answer session.

Jofra, and other Sussex staff who support the delivery of programmes at BACA, then joined the squad for their annual squad photo. Plenty of selfies and autographs were gathered at the end of the morning.

Jack Davies, Principal at BACA said: “It was great to welcome Jofra to the academy.  Our relationship with Sussex Cricket plays a pivotal role in our aspiration to be the number one state school for cricket in the country."

BACA is Sussex Cricket’s state school the Junior Cricket Pathway allows boys and girls in years 7 to 11 to pursue a personalised cricket programme that fits around their academic studies at BACA. The Pathway is a pre-cursor to the Aldridge Cricket Academy for BACA’s sixth form students.

Gary Wallis-Tayler, Community Cricket Director, commented: “We are extremely proud of our partnership with BACA, a state school that provides quality cricket provision and cricketing opportunities to its students.

“By using our professional playing squad/staff, we hope it inspires the students to what they could aspire to in the future.”

Alexia Walker, Director of Cricket at BACA, added: "It was fantastic to start our new school year with such a special visit from Jofra.

“The students were delighted to get the chance to speak with him about all areas of his cricket career and have some photos with their hero.

“Our partnership with Sussex Cricket continues to provide our state school cricketers with wonderful opportunities like this and we are proud to work so closely with them."

BACA is inviting parents and pupils interested in its Junior Cricket Pathway to an open day on Wednesday 28th September between 5pm and 8pm.

The open evening is a chance to visit The Sir Rod Aldridge Cricket Centre and sample its first-class facilities, learn more about the Junior Cricket Pathway and its ground-breaking partnership with Sussex Cricket, meet the coaching team and learn about BACA’s wider secondary school offering.

An open evening for Year 11s considering the Aldridge Cricket Academy at BACA will take place on Wednesday 19th October, with more details available soon. 

You can register for the open evenings via the BACA website.