It has been another successful year for The Canterbury Academy - which has even seen two of their teams face one another in a Kent Cup Final.

The Academy have achieved a Kent double this year, also winning the 30-over Lemon Cup competition thanks to a five-wicket Final win over Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School on Monday.

While on-the-field triumphs have been enjoyed, director of sport Phil Relf says getting youngsters playing regular cricket has been equally as important.

On their Lemon Cup win at St Lawrence & Highland Court CC, Relf said: “It was rain-affected. It was a long day.

“The opposition got 135-7 off 30 overs and we chased it down with three overs to spare.

“Fergie Conway got 43 not out. He played really well, and Will Cook and Ethan Saggers bowled well at the start of their innings.

“That allowed us to stay on top for the majority of the game. But the opposition played really nicely and they have a good cricketing programme.

“It’s nice to do the double in Kent. But also it’s about getting lots of players, playing regular cricket.

“We feel we can often provide opportunities.”

Two Canterbury Academy teams played each other in the Kent Schools League Cup Final last Wednesday.

Harry Fulton, one of ex-Kent captain Dave Fulton’s sons, starred for the winning side, while Gabe Mitchell and Owen Palmer also impressed.

Relf explained: “What we wanted to do is almost celebrate with how we play our cricket. It was a 20-over game.

“One side got 177 and the other chased it down in the last over. But everyone was involved, we almost put our own rules on the game to get everyone involved.

“Overall, we had a decent day of it and played some decent cricket.

“It was a good game, played in the right way.”

Canterbury Academy, who joined forces with The Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School in Faversham for an under-13 game last month against Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys, have seen sixth-form pupil Darcey Carter named player-of-the-match for Scotland’s full side against The Netherlands.

Glasgow-born Carter hit an unbeaten 53 in a T20 game last Wednesday while Alexa Stonehouse opened the batting for the South East Stars in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and will be with the Trent Rockets in The Hundred again.

“Alexa and Darcey have been superb,” Relf noted. “They’ve had a lot of representative cricket commitments.

“For Darcey to make her debut for Scotland’s full team, and to open the batting and get 50 recently, that’s great.

“Alexa, she trains very hard and she’s had opportunities with England ‘A’.

“We have got a few girls lower down the school that, hopefully, look up to what they’re doing.

“We have Jaydn Denly in our sixth form as well. He’s a regular member of Kent’s second-team and Max Wood has played for them.”

Relf says the support the Academy have given them in allowing the pupils to play regular cricket has been great, too.

He said: “The school is quite outward thinking.

“We have very supportive teaching staff because cricket does, regularly, take quite a bit of time. It’s been a successful season.

“Yes, it’s been a success, winning both county cups, but getting people opportunities in the game is equally as important.”

Success has come despite the Kent Schools Cricket Association limiting the number of new under-18 recruits to four in any team.

Relf said: “We have disrupted the norm, I think that’s what has happened.

“We don’t poach players. I would say 90% of players that come to our programme come from schools that offer limited cricket.

“Others come into the school because, potentially, they see there’s a different pathway for them.

“What we don’t want to do is play in games where we win by 10 wickets or 150 runs. That does no one any good.”

Plans for a tour to south Asia, potentially Sri Lanka, have been mooted next year.