Hawk-Eye at 'The Home of Cricket'

Date released: 15 May 2007

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) today announced that Hawk-Eye™ technology is available at the Performance Analysis Suite in the MCC Indoor School at Lord’s - the first time that this state-of-the-art equipment has been accessible to the public.

Members of the MCC World Cricket committee, including the former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe, West Indies bowling legend Courtney Walsh and former England captain Mike Gatting, visited the MCC Indoor School to see Hawk-Eye in operation yesterday afternoon.

The Performance Analysis Suite, which incorporates the same technology used by cricket broadcasters to enhance their coverage of international and county matches, will be available as a coaching aid for all users of the MCC Indoor School, be they international players, coaches, club cricketers or school parties.

The Hawk-Eye software can accurately pinpoint the speed, line and length of each delivery, as well as the path the ball would have taken had it not been hit by the batsman, or hit the pads. Users will be able to view a graphical breakdown of their statistics and take the information away on disk. Bowlers may see how fast they are bowling and how far they are turning the ball, while batsmen may analyse how well they play against varying degrees of spin and speed, and increase their awareness of their positioning in relation to the stumps. Umpires too can use the technology to sharpen their skills.

John Stephenson, Head of Cricket at MCC, said: “We are committed to providing the very best facilities at 'The Home of Cricket', and making them as widely available as possible. The MCC Indoor School has undergone major refurbishment over the past two years, and the installation of Hawk-Eye in the Performance Analysis Suite is the latest stage of this development. I am delighted that Lord’s has become the first venue where members of the public may experience Hawk-Eye, and I am sure it will prove very popular with the many users of the MCC Indoor School.”

Martin Crowe said: “Hawk-Eye is an impressive piece of technology. The information it provides as it tracks the ball from the moment it is released by the bowler to the moment it goes dead can be greatly beneficial for bowlers and batsmen alike. The availability of this equipment at Lord’s will be an interesting and useful tool for all users of the MCC Indoor School.”

Users may book an hour-long Hawk-Eye session from as little as £82 (including net and coaching). For further details, please e-mail analysis@mcc.org.uk or telephone 020 7616 8731.