Basil Sellers Scholarships presented

Eleven young NSW cricketers received a boost last Friday evening (August 27) when they were presented with a Basil Sellers Scholarship during a dinner held at Cricket NSW’s headquarters.

The Basil Sellers Scholarships are presented each year to cricketers aged between 16 and 19. The Scholarships aim to:

• Facilitate the development of a young talented cricketer/cricketers.

• Support a cricketer’s move from regional to city life, if necessary.

• Assist the cricketer with education, training, employment and social skills.

• Retain in cricket, talented young sports people who have considerable ability in cricket and other sports.

The 2010/11 scholarship recipients are:

Nathan Brain (Campbelltown/Camden), Sean Abbott (Parramatta), Aaron Flaherty (Tamworth/Central North Zone), Taylor Scott (Maitland/Central North Zone), Brendan Reynolds (Tamworth/Central North Zone), Andrew Harriott (Tamworth/Central North Zone), Patrick Cummins (Penrith), Scott Heaney (Hawkesbury), Lisa Griffith (Campbelltown-Camden/Western Zone), Keeghan Tucker (Western Zone), Sammy-Jo Johnson (North Coastal Zone).

The Scholarships are supported by well know businessman, philanthropist and former NSW Cricket Association Director, Mr Basil Sellers.

He presented the scholarships to each player on Friday night, with the exception of Sammy-Jo Johnson who was overseas, and was joined on stage by former Australian captain, Steve Waugh who offered some helpful advice to the young cricketers.

During the evening Mr Sellers also presented a wrist watch to RTA SpeedBlitz Blues player, Steven Smith. In what has become a tradition, Mr Sellers presents a watch to each former Scholarship holder who represents Australia in Test cricket. The watch is inscribed with both their Test player number, and their Scholarship recipient number.

The Basil Sellers Scholarships were first presented in 2006. Past recipients include Phillip Hughes, Usman Khawaja, Josh Hazlewood, Erin Osborne and Ellyse Perry

Mind over batter for Hughes

JUSTIN Langer has long believed cricket is a game played as much between the ears as it is out on the field.

So when Phillip Hughes flew to Perth for a one-on-one session with the old hardhead of Australian cricket, Langer spent as much time exploring how the young Blues opener approaches the game mentally and emotionally as he did honing his batting technique.

"Justin has been great for me. He looked at a few little things with my batting that I won't go into, but the main thing was what we spoke about away from cricket," Hughes said. "The biggest thing for me was listening to Justin's passion for everything - not just cricket but for life. I asked him plenty of questions, but he asked me just as many."

While Langer had Hughes in the nets three times a day, they spoke for hours about the mental side of the game: of the importance of developing a "steel trap mind" so scattered thoughts and negative attitudes do not impact on Hughes' cricket.

It's the same approach Langer developed after being dropped from the Test side before returning to form one of Australia's greatest opening partnerships with fellow left- hander Matthew Hayden.

Hughes, 21, wanted to work with Langer before leaving for a county stint with Hampshire in England. He said he was determined to make an immediate impact upon his return to the competitive arena after a shoulder injury ruined his winter.

Hughes has shown enough in his first seven Tests to suggest he is a player of great potential. Many in Australian cricket hope Langer is the man who can put the finishing touches on his game.

He is averaging an impressive 51.25 in Test cricket and a strong stint overseas and a good start to the 2010-2011 season in Australia could see him thrust back into a Test opening spot alongside NSW teammate Simon Katich.