Cricket Australia & Commonwealth Bank welcomes 2006 Centre of Excellence scholars

The Commonwealth Bank and Cricket Australia has welcomed its 2006 Centre of Excellence scholars with 16 talented young cricketers commencing the Australian Institute of Sport training program in Brisbane.

The Commonwealth Bank Centre of Excellence aims to provide leading-edge training and development initiatives for Australia's top cricketers, coaches, umpires, curators and administrators.

The Commonwealth Bank is proud to continue its ongoing relationship with Cricket Australia and the Centre of Excellence.

Recent Australian debutant and West Australian paceman Brett Dorey has already been called up from this year’s program to replace Stuart Clarke for Australia's one-day cricket series on the tour of Bangladesh.

Other headline players invited to participate at the Commonwealth Bank Centre of Excellence in 2006 include Australian Under-19 players Moises Henriques and Aaron Finch.

Based at Queensland's Allan Border Field, the Commonwealth Bank Centre of Excellence incorporates the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy (formerly based in Adelaide) and includes four critical core functions:

• a player development unit;
• a sports science and medicine unit;
• an information resource centre; and
• a coaching, umpiring, administration and curator unit.

The 2006 Scholarship intake includes:

Doug Bollinger	New South Wales
Moises Henriques	New South Wales
Aaron O’Brien	New South Wales
Cullen Bailey	South Australia
Callum Ferguson	South Australia
George Bailey	Tasmania
Ben Hilfenhaus	Tasmania
Tim Paine	Tasmania
Adam Crosthwaite	Victoria
Aaron Finch	Victoria
Peter Siddle	Victoria
Beau Casson	Western Australia
Brett Dorey	Western Australia
Ben Edmonson	Western Australia
Shaun Marsh	Western Australia
Adam Voges	Western Australia

The Commonwealth Bank Centre of Excellence training program is divided into two eight-week sessions with a two week emerging players’ tournament scheduled for the middle of the program.

International academies from South Africa, New Zealand and India will travel to the Commonwealth Bank Centre of Excellence to join the scholars for the July tournament.

At the conclusion of the 18 week training program, the scholars will participate in a three-week international tour in late August/September.

The Commonwealth Bank is a major contributor to supporting Cricket in Australia, and is currently a proud supporter of:

• the Future Stars Award, which recognises achievements from young male and female cricketers;
• the Cricket Pathways program in Victoria and Tasmania;
• the Australian Women's Cricket team; and
• the Australian male and female under 19s and 17s youth teams.

The Commonwealth Bank has been a proud supporter of the Centre of Excellence since 1987.

ENDS

For more information contact:

Steve Batten
Media Adviser
Commonwealth Bank
Phone: (02) 9378 2504
Mob: 0411 080 268
Email: steve.batten@cba.com.au