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Langer, Scorchers helping teach future stars

Justin Langer says finding time to help kids in Western Australia to improve their games is an 'obligation' he has a passion for

Justin Langer says he has little trouble convincing his WA players to come to his annual cricket clinic and sign some autographs for the hundreds of youngsters in attendance.

After all, most of them were once one of those kids themselves.

For more than two decades, the cricket legend has hosted an annual camp in Perth aimed at inspiring the next generation of players and improving their skills at the sport Langer has dedicated his life to.

And a star-studded alumnus of former pupils that includes the Marsh brothers and Test opener Cameron Bancroft makes it easy to understand why some of the biggest names in the game are more than willing to give up their time.

"I ask them as a favour to come and sign some autographs for half-an-hour or an hour," Langer explains. "And most of them turn up because they say, 'we used to come to your clinics'.

"Every now and then one of the photos will show up of me and one of them (current players) when they were about 10 years old at my clinic.

"They all help out, which is really good."

Image Id: 0B510A06FD344ACC93DAA1722F05B771 Image Caption: Adam Voges lends his support to the cricket camp

Langer would love to say he remembers seeing a young Marsh or Bancroft at his clinic and pegging him as an international player of the future then and there. But even Langer, one of the great story-tellers in Australian cricket, concedes such romanticism is a stretch.

"It'd be a good story if I said I did remember them," he said.

"But you see so many kids and young faces, you encourage them all to become great players but you never know how it'll work out."

Bancroft and Shaun Marsh were among a host of current stars who attended this year's three-day clinic last January, along with recent internationals Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff and Michael Klinger.

Image Id: C081C81BB942481F845DDB0E0382B5B0 Image Caption: Ashton Agar signs some autographs for kids

Langer's playing and now coaching commitments over the past 21 years have meant, almost inevitably, that he's missed "a day or a couple of hours here or there" when the annual camp rolls around.

But despite planning to take a step back, he continues to turn up year after year.

"Probably for the last 10 years, every year I think to myself 'this has got to be my last year'," he says. "Particularly at this time of the year with the Big Bash and everything else that's going on.

"But you see 300 or 400 kids having the time of their lives playing cricket. And then some of the feedback we get from parents or the kids, I almost feel obligated to keep doing it.

"And I'm of the view that if you put your name to something, you should be there."

Image Id: 171C32CDF56E45E8A00D6AAF4349A1F8 Image Caption: Scorchers coaches enjoying imparting their wisdom

For more on Australian Sports Camps, click here.