Seb Evans
How a longtime cricket fan turned classroom learning into pitch side experience with Worcester County Cricket Club
Seb Evans is just beginning the fourth and final year of his Integrated Masters in Cricket Coaching and Management at the University of Worcester.
As well as being at the heart of performance analysis at the University, he is also coming to the end of a transformative internship at Worcestershire County Cricket Club, where he has worked with his cricketing heroes, learned from the best in the business, and seen the future stars of English cricket.
“I’ve done a lot of coding,” said Seb. “That’s where you look at every single ball and analyse where it’s pitched, where it passes the stumps, how well it has been hit, whether or not the ball has seamed or swung, every element of it.”
Seb was working with the first team, the second team, the academy and the women’s side.
He said: “I’d been following the statistics side of cricket religiously for years now and I saw the opportunity to get the internship when they sent a job-spec over to the lecturers at the University, so I applied, and I got it.”
He continued: “I’ve gained a lot of experience during my studies by helping coaching and also doing performance analysis for the men’s and women’s performance squads at the University for the last couple of years.”
He added: “I think they’ll have been impressed by that dedication, because I wasn’t going in completely inexperienced because I’d already done this before. At the University we had already done two performance analysis modules which taught us about coding and tailoring feedback to players and coaches, so I think that massively helped me get this internship.”
Seb spent an entire season with Worcestershire County Cricket Club. As a lifelong cricket fan, he had to get over his amazement at his new environment quickly.
“I remember the first day, going in and meeting professional players I’d been watching play cricket for years, it was a real ‘wow’ moment when they came up to say hi, but I didn’t have much time to be starstruck because I was there to do a job.”
While at WCCC, Seb was presented with the opportunity to carry out performance analysis at the Bunbury and Super 4s festivals, prestigious youth cricket tournaments organised by the ECB.
“I spent three weeks there and I really felt like that’s where I made some huge leaps in my own progression. It was such great experience and the quality of the cricket I was analysing was just incredible,” said Seb.
He added: “Pretty much anyone who has played for England has been at those festivals, so even though they’re youth players, some of them are ridiculously good!”
Craig Williams, Senior Lecturer, Sports Coaching Science and Course Leader for the Integrated Masters in Cricket Coaching and Management said: “Congratulations, Seb, on a fantastic internship with Worcestershire County Cricket Club.”
He continued: “It’s an opportunity we’re delighted to see coming from the University’s close relationship with the club. Our staff work hand-in-hand with students to unlock real-world experiences which enrich both their personal growth and future career prospects.”
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