CLG Academy
Coach working one-to-one with a batter in the nets

Coaches, Experts & Founders

The coaches whorun the sessions

You want to know who's actually in the nets with your child. Here they are.

Meet the team

Who stands in the nets with them

Internationals, county players, and ECB-qualified coaches. That's the mix. Your child gets the technical work, the game sense, and someone who notices when a session's gone a bit off.

We're in Chelmsford and Witham.

Our founders

They started CLG Academy

Rahul Vyas and Piyush Somaiya built this. They're still in the nets, still on programmes, and still the people families speak to about joining.

  • Rahul Vyas

    Founder

    Rahul Vyas

    ECB Level 2

    Founder. ECB Level 2. Club and colts coaching.

    He started CLG Academy. He still coaches, and he still cares about the whole player, not just the scores.

    Playing experience

    • Division cricket in India
    • Surrey Cricket League

    Coaching experience & philosophy

    • ECB Level 2
    • Club colts
    • Fits the session to the player. Builds young talent. Wants the game growing at every level

  • Founder

    Piyush Somaiya

Our coaches

Honey Garg

Head Coach

Honey Garg

DBS, Safeguarding young cricketers, First aid for sports coaches

India youth international. Thirteen years in English county cricket.

He played in India and in English county leagues. As a coach, he watches the player in front of him. Then he fixes what's actually going wrong.

Playing experience

  • Delhi under 16 and under 19
  • North Zone (India)
  • Delhi University
  • 13 years in top-division leagues across English counties

Coaching experience & philosophy

  • Club cricket through to colts, adults, and women
  • One-to-one and group sessions, fitted to the player
  • Spots the fault, then the fix. Ten years of that, including time with a coach of internationals, and plenty of practice with internationals himself
  • DBS, safeguarding young cricketers, and first aid for sports coaches

The coaching team

  • Coach

    Sarvo Sankaran

    ECB Level 2

    ECB Level 2. Club and colts coaching.

    He works with what's already there, then adds the technique and the head for a match. They should still enjoy turning up.

    Playing experience

    • T Rippon Essex League

    Coaching experience & philosophy

    • ECB Level 2
    • Club cricket colts
    • Works with natural skills, then the technical base. Confidence and the mental side of a match, without losing the fun
  • Dean Minors

    Coach

    Dean Minors

    ECB Level 1 & 2

    Bermuda international and 2007 ICC World Cup.

    He's a teacher as well as a coach. Skills matter. So does character. And they should still enjoy turning up.

    Playing experience

    • Premier division cricket in Bermuda
    • 20+ years for Bermuda
    • Northumberland Cricket League, Tynedale Cricket Club
    • 2007 ICC Men's World Cup for Bermuda
    • Great Baddow Cricket Club, Essex
    • Bermuda youth sides, including the 1988 Youth World Cup in Australia

    Coaching experience & philosophy

    • ECB Level 1 and 2
    • Club, colts, and school teams
    • Works on the person as well as the player
    • They should leave knowing themselves a bit better. And they should have had fun

  • Coach

    Steve Woolf

  • Coach

    Beathan Bailey

Our experts

County and international players

These are the specialists who come into sessions. We'll add photos and full write-ups as we get them.

  • Andre Nel

    Expert

    Andre Nel

    Former South African fast bowler and coach

    Former South Africa Test bowler.

    A South African Test fast bowler. Fiery, competitive, and still that way in the nets. He brings bowling detail and a bit of steel into academy sessions.

    Playing experience

    • South Africa, all formats, 2001 to 2009
    • Regular in the Test side from the 2003-04 West Indies series
    • 14 wickets on the 2005 tour of Australia
    • 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, including spells against England and Bangladesh
    • Easterns, Titans, Lions, Southern Rocks
    • Essex, Surrey, and Northamptonshire
    • Mumbai Indians in the IPL

    Coaching experience & philosophy

    • Coaching since retiring from internationals in 2009
    • Mental toughness, discipline, commitment
    • Wants bowlers confident and aggressive, and still enjoying it
  • Tom Westley

    Expert

    Tom Westley

    Test player for England and captain of Essex

    England Test batter and Essex captain.

    Essex captain. England Test batter. He talks batting and leadership the way he played: calm, clear, no fuss.

    Playing experience

    • England Tests, 2017
    • Fifty on debut against South Africa at The Oval
    • Essex, including the 2017 County Championship
    • Captained Essex to the 2020 Bob Willis Trophy
    • Part of Essex's 2019 Championship and T20 Blast double

    Coaching experience & philosophy

    • Captain of Essex. Plans the game. Brings people with him
    • Technique plus a clear head. Discipline, focus, adapting when it isn't going your way
    • Wants players to get better and still like turning up

  • Expert

    Nick Browne

    Essex opening batsman

  • Expert

    Jamie Porter

    Essex / England pace bowler

  • Expert

    Noah Thain

Your next step

If this is the group you want around your child, ask.

EnquireView programmes