GARY Palmer, the former Somerset all-rounder and ex-Oxford University coach, says his new cricket academy will be "a finishing school for undiscovered talent".

The Cricket Coach Master (CCM) Academy is aimed at talented youngsters between the ages of 15 and 19, who want to become professional cricketers, but are not given the opportunities through the current set-up.

The goal is to take a select squad of aspiring cricketers and shape them into potential county level players.

They will be guided by Palmer, the son of former Test match umpire Ken, and a group of well-known cricketers and coaches.

These include England and Surrey batsman Mark Ramprakash and Middlesex's England one-day international batsman Owais Shah.

The Oxfordshire-based academy provides an intensive coaching programme throughout the year.

The programme, which lasts about 15 days spread over 12 months, will be followed by a handful of games against first-class cricket academies at the end of next season. County coaches have already expressed an interest in the prospective talent and will be at the matches keeping a close eye on the players.

Palmer said: "Lack of funding in Minor Counties' set-ups has led to lack of regular practice and access to top coaches.

"Because of that, a lot of youngsters are overlooked in the Minor Counties.

"I have coaching methods that are different to everybody else's. But they keep changing, which keeps it interesting for the youngsters. That is very important.

"The best players in the world are the best practisers in the world. This academy is not easy.

"We practise hard, but it's also supposed to be a lot of fun. "I also think the method of practice I use is better than anywhere else in the country, and the quality of coaches I am getting in is second to none.

"We have assembled some of the best coaches in the country. I brought along Mark (Ramprakash) the other day, and he was one of the best coaches I have worked with.

"The sessions are long - 10am to 5pm - so it's a tough session, but very worthwhile."

Palmer added that he is looking for sponsors to help fund the running of the academy.

He said: "We need an overall sponsor for the academy, but we are also looking for smaller sponsors to help out individuals.

"Smith's of Bletchingdon have already sponsored a player (Johnny Watkins) to go on to the programme. That's great, but we just need more businesses to do the same. "BOLA are also sponsoring the academy. They lend us their bowling machines and have put in a substantial amount of money for this year, but we are always looking for more to help us to discover more talent.

"I hope that three years down the line we can say that we have produced players who are going to be the future of English cricket."

Anyone interested in sponsorship or joining the academy, should contact Palmer on 01993 880471 or 07815 081744. They can also visit www.ccmacademy.co.uk