ECB England Women’s Senior Academy completes successful 7-Day S&C & Fielding training camp at Desert Springs Resort

 

Thirteen (13) members of the ECB England Women’s Senior Academy Squad, accompanied by seven (7) Management, staff and coaches are now back in England having completed a successful 7-day strength & conditioning and fielding training camp between Thursday 19^th – Thursday 26^th October at Desert Springs Resort, Europe’s only international award-winning luxury family resort and championship desert golf course with its very own dedicated Cricket Ground & Academy, in the Almanzora region of Almeria, Andalucía in south-east Spain.

 

Jonathan Finch, Women’s High Performance Manager remarked of Desert Springs Resort and the training camp;

“It was a great way for us to start our winter programme and plan for 2018. The opportunity to train outdoors, combined with a lot of gym work, allowed us to maximize the value of the trip, and the staff at Desert Springs were excellent”

 

The focus of the training camp was to provide an opportunity for the players to both work seriously on their fielding skills as well as their fitness levels, through a specific strength and conditioning programme, to ensure that the players are in the best possible shape, whilst at the same time having the opportunity to benefit from the extensive resort facilities.

Players mobilisation around the resort via mountain bikes, team meetings, catering provided at the Crocodile Club restaurant and a training session held on the nearby beach were all on the agenda.

 

John Stanworth, Head Coach remarked of his experience;

“It was an excellent trip for us, and we’re grateful to everyone at Desert Springs for making us so welcome.”

 

Anna Warren, Physiotherapist commented of the training camp;

“A sensational training camp, perfect for everything that we required for the visit!”

 

Some of the players views of the training camp were;

“Fantastic resort” Emma Lamb, “Everything great, perfect camp!” Ellie Threlkeld, “Everything sensational, thank you!” Bryony Smith, “Everything perfect, what a beautiful place for a training camp!” Freya Davies, “Everything brilliant, thank you” Georgie Boyce, “Sensational resort for our training camp, thank you” Sarah Glenn, “Quality food and service, perfect place for our camp, thank you”, Hollie Armitage, “Thank you for such a sensational visit, everything was perfect!” Alice Davidson Richards

 

Simon Coaker, Sales & Marketing Manager for The Almanzora Group Ltd. said;

“The training camp of the England Women’s Senior Academy (EWSA) is part of the programme designed to support the players whilst they take the next steps on their journey towards international cricket and honours.

The EWSA is in place to enhance the skills of players to ensure they are equipped to perform for England on the international stage, to enhance their development and help them become more effective performers. To have been selected to host the EWSA, as part of their training programme, is a great honour for all at the resort.”

 

• For details of Cricket, Golf & Sports Training Camps, Corporate Golf Events and Meetings at Desert Springs Resort call 01242 680 116
• To find out more about the Desert Springs Cricket Academy visit the website.

 

Additional background Information

 

Warm weather winter training camps at Desert Springs

 

Desert Springs, Europe’s only international award-winning luxury family resort and championship desert golf course, is already known as a resort specialising in family holidays, however it has rapidly gained popularity as a centre for warm-weather training for cricketers, athletes, and footballers, as well as golfers and is proving to be one of the most popular destinations for sports warm weather winter training camps.

All sports camps to Desert Springs are bespoke. If desired, the programme can include time away from the resort for some local sightseeing in what many regard as ‘the real Spain.’

During their stay attendees have opportunities to swim, play tennis and use the gymnasium, trim trail, jogging tracks, paddle tennis and beach volley ball courts.

Desert Springs is easy to reach from the UK, thanks to three international airports. They are: Almeria Airport, 40 minutes by car; Murcia Airport, 80 minutes by car, and Alicante Airport which is a drive of less than two hours. Airlines currently flying to the region from the UK include British Airways, EasyJet, Ryanair, Jet2, and Fly Thomas Cook.

Accommodation is provided in the apartments, townhouses and villas available for holidays and short breaks at Desert Springs. Meals are served in the resort’s Crocodile Club Restaurant, part of the family-friendly Crocodile Club that is geared up for a wide variety of leisure activities and the award winning El Torrente Restaurant at the Club House.

 

The Desert Springs Resort & Golf Club

Facilities already completed and in use at Desert Springs Resort include:

• The Indiana course, a par 72 -18-hole USGA specification golf course, designed by former Great Britain and Ireland Golf Team Captain Peter McEvoy who was inspired by the desert courses of Arizona and California;
• a golf academy whose PGA qualified teaching professionals cater for several international teams, for the women’s elite squads of the Golf Union of Wales and for many of the English County Union’s elite squads; PGA European Tour, PGA Europro Tour and LET players.
• two tennis courts, two paddle courts, beach volley ball and two football pitches – one is a full-size grass pitch; the other is designed for five-a-side games;
• a cricket ground with an eighteen (18) wicket square, constructed to ECB standards and specifications that will be ready for play in February 2018 and will be open all year round. Complimented by a Marquee pavilion, sightscreens, scoreboard, sprint strips, and associated facilities, it provides an outstanding facility to practice and play cricket.
• a Cricket Academy with facilities that comprise; twenty-four (24) grass wickets and run up with nets, one artificial wicket with nets, a full length artificial grass wicket, a Professional Bola Bowling Machine with 28 ball feeder, requisite training equipment and a specific hard standing area, which provides outside space for facilities such as a free weights gym, stretching mats and a medical area.
• a Spanish colonial style Golf Club House with a lounge, bar, restaurant, locker rooms, TV and reading rooms, and a Ralph Lauren Golf Boutique;
• The Crocodile Club which provides family fun at the heart of the resort with pools, equipped sand play areas, a kid’s battery powered John Deere Gator circuit as well as a Jacuzzi, sun lawns and a pool bar;
• a health and fitness club and spa.

 

Awards

Desert Springs Resort was awarded Best Golf Resort for Groups in Europe by the 2016 European Group Travel Awards (EGTA). The Indiana Course at Desert Springs Resort has also been recognised as the 6th Best Golf Course in Spain, based on the reviews of players who rated the course on the Leading Courses website. Out of the 345 courses present on this ranking the Indiana Course at Desert Springs occupies 6th place with a score of 8,8/10, and awards Desert Springs Golf Club with the “Outstanding” badge. This distinction is only given to the best 10 courses in the country.

Desert Springs Resort has been awarded the Daily Mail Best Almeria Award and the Bentley International Property Awards for the Best Spain Development and Best Architecture, as well as the Spanish National Madera Verde Prize for Environmentally Sensitive Development, the SICTED award for the distinction of “Commitment to Tourism Quality” and Andalucía’s Premier Tourism prize for 2017, the coveted and prestigious ‘Excellence in Management’ Award.

 

El Torrente Restaurant has received the New Millennium International Gastronomy Award for the     Tourist, Hotel and Catering Industry. This award was created by the Trade Leaders Club with the aim      of distinguishing companies from all countries, for the outstanding quality of their products or services.

 

The climate of the Almanzora coastal region

Desert Springs takes its name from the region’s desert microclimate, which is unique in Europe. It has the warmest winter weather on the continent with an annual average of more than nine hours of daily sunshine and maximum daily temperatures of between 16°C (60°F) and 30°C (86°F) throughout the year. Annual rainfall is less than 200 mm. The Almanzora coastal waters are among the cleanest and warmest in Europe, attracting both fish and diving enthusiasts.

 

Reader enquiries:

NOTE: High Resolution Images available upon request.

Simon Coaker

The Almanzora Group Ltd

The Manor, Boddington, Cheltenham,

Gloucestershire GL51 0TJ

Tel: +44 (0) 1242 680116

Mob: +34 678 235 716

e: scc@almanzora.com

www.desertspringsresort.es