Worksop College enjoy an Indian summer against MCC

It was cold, cloudy and distinctly autumnal at the Nottinghamshire school but the buzz of chatter and no little talent lit up this closely fought contest versus MCC, as ED KRARUP reports

Cricket in the Christmas term – whatever next? It is true, though. As you may have read on these pages in our September issue, many schools have taken the opportunity to play cricket in the autumn after Covid stopped play in the summer. 

Safety is paramount in these fixtures, with regular sanitisation breaks, socially distanced celebrations for wickets and ‘packup’ lunches eaten outside in the rather chill air between innings.

Nevertheless, Worksop College, on the edge of Nottinghamshire’s Sherwood Forest, embraced the opportunity. After enjoying a narrow win over the Forty Club they took on MCC the following week.

The college’s alumni includes international umpire Richard Kettleborough, Notts allrounder Samit Patel and England captain Joe Root, who was able to fine tune his game on a pitch that has always offered turn and bounce to spin.

Batting first, it was the seamers who had MCC in trouble. The club followed the lead of England, who were taking on Australia in an ODI the same day, by losing two wickets in the first over to lively medium pacer Isaac Parkin. Richard Bostock, from Nottingham Premier League side Cuckney CC, steadied the ship, making 64 from 98 deliveries, but with runs hard to come by, MCC made 155 for 7 in their allotted 40 overs.

^{Jamie Blackburn (right) was the difference between the two sides}

The Worksop fielding was busy and committed but it was the left-arm spin of 16-year-old James Blackburn who took the eye in the first innings. He bowled eight overs unchanged, coming in off a straight approach, utilising a fluid repeatable action, that saw him unerringly accurate for a player of such tender years. Even during the death overs, with MCC’s lower order attempting the long handle, Blackburn kept his cool, picking up 1 for 20 and only being struck for two boundaries despite the leg-side fence being a mishit away. He delivered a remarkable 36 dots in his 48 deliveries.

MCC were packed with spin, with the canny Will Street, who has played in the ECB Yorkshire South Premier League for a number of years, taking the new ball. Once again it was Blackburn who impressed, this time opening the batting. The left-hander rose to the challenge of playing the ball late, most often off the backfoot a la his contemporary Root, in stark comparison with his fellow top order, who lunged forward keeping the close-set field interested.

Only when the bowlers erred in line did he employ a sweep shot, preferring instead to poke the ball into gaps, scamper singles and manipulate the fi eld. Wickets continued to tumble around him, with former Notts left-arm spinner Jim Hindson picking up three, and Blackburn himself was fi nally out chipping to midwicket for 31, compiled from 79 deliveries.

^{The cricket brightened a gloomy day in Nottinghamshire}

“Blackburn was the difference between the two sides,” admitted Hindson after the match. “He gave his side real control, with the last 10 overs off our innings only mustering 30 runs.

“With the bat, his innings at the top of the order was superb. He played the odds – staying at home to the off-spinners with the ball turning away and looking to play off the back foot. Then using his feet to me, with the ball turning into him, and sweeping anything that was marginally off-line. He ran with a real purpose too and looks a genuine prospect with both bat and ball.”

Neil Longhurst, Worksop’s director of cricket said about Blackburn: “James is from Bawtry CC and is a quiet but academically extremely bright lad, achieving all 9s in his GCSEs (the highest grade possible). He is quite slight in stature and relies on using the pace of the ball to his advantage. We are working very hard with him on his strength and conditioning and I’m sure as his power develops he will increase his boundary options with the bat. He’s not currently on Yorkshire’s radar but we see him as a real prospect here.”

Blackburn’s 31 set his side up, gluing the innings together while seeing off a new ball that was turning sharply. With 80 required from 13 overs, MCC captain Will Butler maintained an attacking fi eld, looking for the outright win. Opening bowlers Lewis Hogg and Isaac Parkin nudged Worksop closer before an innings of 33 from 31 deliveries by keeper James Davies and some lusty blows from Joe Thompson took the schoolboys to the brink.

It was left to No11 Jasper Dennison to scramble a leg bye off the fi nal ball of the match, and indeed the season, to see his side home to a famous victory.

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