Dateline:	8th March 2013
	Source:	The Almanzora Group
	Subject:	Middlesex County Cricket Club
	Title:	Middlesex County Cricket Club completes a successful four-days of warm weather fitness and cricket training at the Desert Springs Resort in Almeria, Spain

Middlesex’s players are now back in England having completed a successful four-days of warm weather fitness and cricket training between 26th February & 1st March at Desert Springs Resort, Europe’s only international award-winning luxury family resort and championship desert golf course in the Almanzora region of Almeria in south-east Spain.

Sixteen squad players completed a number of training sessions per day for four days as they stepped up their physical preparations for the upcoming 2013 season.

Richard Scott, Head Coach for Middlesex County Cricket Club said:

"We chose Desert Springs to give a large proportion of our squad (16) the chance to physically train in a different environment and also to work outside for the first time this year on fielding skills.”

Richard continued:

“The players were accommodated within the luxury Colonial Apartments at the resort, sharing twin rooms, which were clean and up to date with each apartment housing a total of four."

Richard added:

“We had exclusive use of the gym and the full size international football pitch on a daily basis and utilised the 'trim trail' cross country tracks laid out around the golf course and mountain bikes, which were made available, for the whole squad, to provide variation.

Tee times were booked on the excellent Indiana golf course for the afternoon as part of our package.

Desert Springs provided menus, which were agreed in advance and the standard of the food was excellent.

Nourishment packs, which included water, snack bars, fruit etc. were also provided.

The service within Desert Springs is first class and everyone in all departments ensured our stay went to plan and was enjoyable."

• For details of Golf & Sports Training Camps, Corporate Golf Events and Meetings at Desert Springs call 01242 680 116.
• To find out more about the Middlesex County Cricket Club 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 school golf trips to Desert Springs are bespoke. If desired, the programme can include time away from the golf course for some local sightseeing in what many regard as ‘the real Spain.’

During their stay pupils 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, around 40 minutes away by road; 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 easyJet, Monarch, Ryanair, Jet2, Jetair Fly and Thomas Cook.

Accommodation is provided in the apartments and villas available for holidays and short breaks at Desert Springs. Meals are served in the resort’s Croc 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.

A spokesman for Desert Springs said that, depending on the size of the group and its requirements, the total cost of a four-day trip for warm weather training, including flights, would work out at between £350 and £400 per person.

The Desert Springs Resort & Golf Club

Facilities already completed and in use at Desert Springs include:

• a 72 par 18-hole USGA Indiana 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 and LET players.
• two hard 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 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 and a games room as well as a jacuzzi, sun lawns and a pool bar;
• a health and fitness club and spa.

Awards

In 2005 Desert Springs won the Daily Mail Best Almeria Award and the Bentley International Property Awards for the Best Spain Development and Best Architecture. In 2006, it was awarded the Spanish National Madera Verde Prize for Environmentally Sensitive Development.

In 2007, the El Torrente Restaurant 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 it 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’s 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
Email: tag@almanzora.com

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	Dateline:	8th March 2013
	Source:	The Almanzora Group Ltd
	Subject:	Middlesex County Cricket
	Title:	Middlesex County Cricket Club completes a successful 4-day warm weather fitness and cricket training camp at Desert Springs

 

The Middlesex squad are now back in England having completed a successful four-days of warm weather fitness and cricket training between 26th February & 1st March at Desert Springs Resort.

Sixteen of the squad players completed a number of sessions per day for four days as they stepped up their physical preparations for the upcoming 2013 season.

Richard Scott, Head Coach for Middlesex County Cricket Club said:

"We chose Desert Springs to give a large proportion of our squad (16) the chance to physically train in a different environment and also to work outside for the first time this year on fielding skills.”

Richard continued: “The players were accommodated within the luxury Colonial Apartments at the resort, sharing twin rooms, which were clean and up to date with each apartment housing a total of four.

We had exclusive use of the gym and the full size international football pitch on a daily basis and utilised the 'trim trail' cross country tracks laid out around the golf course and mountain bikes, which were made available, for the whole squad, to provide variation.

Tee times were booked on the excellent Indiana golf course for the afternoon as part of our package.

Desert Springs provided menus, which were agreed in advance and the standard of the food was excellent.

Nourishment packs, which included water, snack bars, fruit etc. were also provided.

The service within Desert Springs is first class and everyone in all departments ensured our stay went to plan and was enjoyable."

 

For further information contact: The Almanzora Group Ltd
Email: tag@almanzora.com
Telephone: +44 (0) 1242 680 299

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	Dateline:	7th February 2023
	Source:	Desert Springs Resort
	Subject:	Middlesex County Cricket
	Title:	Middlesex CCC Academy choose Desert Springs Resort

Middlesex County Cricket Club Academy will be stepping up their preparations for the 2023 season by completing a five (5) day warm weather pre-season training camp at the Desert Springs Cricket Ground and Academy between Thursday 9^th – Tuesday 13^th February 2023.

Based at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, Middlesex CCC Academy is responsible for the development of young players to represent Middlesex CCC and England.  The Middlesex CCC Academy training camp will comprise fifteen (15) players and three (3) coaches, all of whom will be spending their time completing a specific and carefully planned programme of numerous training sessions each day covering technical skills, bowling and batting, strength and conditioning and both individual and group activity.  Alongside this Middlesex CCC Academy will play friendly fixtures against their counterparts ‘across the river’, Surrey CCC Academy.

Grass net practice will take place at the Cricket Academy. Match simulations, strength and conditioning work, running, speed and agility work will be completed at the Cricket Ground and Gym at the Sierras Sports Club.

The players and coaches will be accommodated in some of the privately-owned Apartments and townhouses at Desert Springs and the resort’s executive chef will be on hand to cater for the special dietary requirements of individual players dining in the Crocodile Club Restaurant.

 

To view the video of the Desert Springs Cricket Academy Click Here.

 

For further information contact: The Almanzora Group Ltd
Email: tag@almanzora.com
Telephone: +44 (0) 1242 680 299

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	Dateline:	11th December 2012
	Source:	The Almanzora Group Ltd
	Subject:	Cricket Camp
	Title:	Middlesex Cricket Club Select Desert Springs Resort for Warm Weather Pre Season Training!

 

This winter at Desert Springs, ‘shouts of FORE! to be replaced with shouts of FOUR!

Middlesex County Cricket Club (MCC) has selected the Desert Springs Resort to be host to their warm weather pre - season training camp between Tuesday 26th - Friday 1st March 2013.

A squad of 19 players with officials from Middlesex County Cricket Club – who finished in third place in Division One of the 2012 LV County Championship with a total of 172 points, will benefit from the facilities of the Cricket Academy established at Desert Springs.

During a three-night stay at Desert Springs the MCC players will benefit from training and coaching on the Football Academy’s international size grass pitch. Players and coaching staff will utilize the two mobile cage nets with artificial wickets and Professional Bola Bowling Machine with 28 ball feeder as well as the slip catch cradle, and both full length artificial and grass wickets. A new hard standing area also provides outside space for facilities such as a free weights gym, stretching mats and a medical area.

Simon Coaker, sales and marketing manager at Desert Springs, said that the wide range of facilities available in the resort influenced the decision by Middlesex Cricket Club to select Desert Springs for its training camp.

“Taken together with the golf and all the other many top quality relaxation and leisure opportunities at Desert Springs for both Senior and Junior teams, the resort has proven that it does amount to an outstanding venue,” said Simon.

During the Cricket Training Camp, players will also make full use of the 18-hole Indiana golf course and enjoy opportunities to mountain bike, play tennis, use the gymnasium, trim trail, jogging tracks, paddle tennis and beach volley ball courts. They also have access to the resort’s Private Reserve which incorporates a spa, private sauna and jacuzzi suite, personal fitness workout room, games room with bar, and a home cinema.

Accommodation for the players and officials is in some of the privately owned apartments normally reserved for holidays and short breaks at Desert Springs.

The resort’s executive chef will be on hand to cater for the special dietary requirements of individual players dining in the resort’s award-winning El Torrente Restaurant.

 

For further information contact: The Almanzora Group
Email: tag@almanzora.com
Telephone: +44 (0) 1242 680 299

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