The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has joined forces with life-saving specialists in the sports and leisure sectors to develop a first aid qualification for cricket coaches.

The four-hour course, ending in a practical and written worksheet assessment of competence, leads to the Cricket Coach - First Aid Appointed Person Award (CCFAAP).

It covers all common cricket injuries including split and dislocated fingers, sprained ankles and blows and cuts to the head or body.

However, the qualification also provides training in how to deal with more serious eventualities including cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid for those that are unconscious.

Launching the award ECB Coach Education Manager, Gordon Lord, said that the award could easily dovetail into existing training days or longer courses.

"We strongly recommend that all coaches hold a recognised first aid qualification and are delighted to be working in partnership with the STA to deliver for the very first time this new award," he said. "From May 1, CCFAAP will form part of the ECB Coach Development Workshop Programme and become a pre-requisite to the ECB Coach Licence Scheme."

The fully certificated qualification is valid for three years and can easily be revalidated. It is organised and administered for the ECB by the NARS Partnership which includes the Swimming Teachers' Association, (STA), the Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management (ILAM) and the Surf Lifesaving Association of Great Britain (SLSA GB).

More details are available from the STA (Tel: 01922 645097), local cricket development officers or the ECB Coach Education Office (Tel: 0121 440 1748).

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