Follow every player from trial net to match day, batch by batch and fee by fee.

A cricket academy teaches players of different ages in batches that meet at fixed hours. A morning group of juniors, an evening group of seniors and a weekend group for beginners may all share the same nets. Lanes are few. A coach can only be in one place, and a morning rain-off sends three groups scrambling for the same indoor hall.

Players arrive through trials, referrals and school visits. They pay by month or by season, buy kit, travel to matches and move up a batch as they improve, and a notebook cannot hold all of that without gaps.

Parents enquire by phone or message. The front desk fixes a trial, and a coach watches the player bat and bowl before noting an age group, a level and a suggested batch. The desk then enrols the player, takes the first fee and issues a kit list. Pitch and net slots are marked on a wall chart. It has more crossings-out than entries, and each coach reads it a little differently.

Each session the coach takes attendance on a sheet. Who bowled, who batted and who was hurt goes on the back. Fee reminders are made by phone, a few at a time, whenever the desk has a free hour. Tournaments need a squad list, parental consent and a bus. Match scores are kept by the team manager in a separate book, and nobody connects the scorebook to the coaching plan.

Equipment goes out too. Balls, cones, helmets and pads are lent to batches and come back worn or not at all. Head coaches review each player once a term, and they do it from memory.