The English invasion of Sydney Grade Cricket

The recent Vitality T20 Blast fixture between Middlesex and Kent at Lord’s ended in a thrilling, high scoring tie. But what may have gone unnoticed was the fact these nine players all had something in common: Nick Gubbins, Stevie Eskinazi, John Simpson and Nathan Sowter for Middlesex and Zac Crawley, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Jack Leaning, Grant Stewart and Ollie Robinson for Kent. All of them have played Sydney grade/NSW Premier cricket.

Zak Crawley

In fact, there are several others in these two county squads in 2020 who have also graced the Sydney grade ovals- Kent’s Joe Denly, Sam Billings and Ivan Thomas and Sam Robson and Tim Murtagh from the home side. While this can be partly explained by Robson, Sowter and Stewart all being Australian born, it is a telling example of the increasingly close link between the English county competition and Sydney grade cricket.

This is not a new phenomenon as Englishmen have been coming since at least Test opener, John Dewes, played for Northern District in 1958 through to all- rounder and influential coach, Barry Knight and then on to the days of Geoffrey Boycott and Tony Greig at Waverley (Eastern Suburbs) and Mike Gatting  at Balmain (Sydney) in the 1970s; Kevin Pietersen (Sydney University), Andrew Strauss (Mosman and Sydney University) among other Test greats.  However, there has been somewhat of an avalanche of English import in recent years. Both their impact on Sydney grade cricket and the benefits gained for the English game have been a largely forgotten story. What follows is a survey of the current English county cricketers who have spent time in 1^st grade in Sydney.

John Dewes

TWELVE TEST PLAYERS

Let’s take the case of the recent Test players first of all. We need look no further than Zac Crawley who in the most recent Test match scored a remarkable 267 in just his 8^th international as a 22- year- old. Two seasons ago, he very successfully honed his skills at Sydney CC at Drummoyne for whom he scored a memorable 42 ball 100 in the semi- final of the T20 competition against Sutherland and is the fastest century in Sydney Grade/NSW Premier Cricket . It took a batsman called Steve Smith (with the help of a few others) to successfully chase down the imposing total Crawley helped set. After his Test double century, he credited his time in Australia as very influential in his development. He will be looking forward to his experience being put to good use in next season’s Ashes.

Two other current members of the English Test team have batted in Sydney conditions. Ollie Pope played for Campbelltown-Camden in 2017-18 with great success (994 runs at an average of 45.18 with three hundreds). The impact that he made prompted club vice–president, Chris Patterson, a member of the NSW State government, to pay a formal tribute to Pope in the parliament. In addition to praising his on-field contribution, Patterson hailed Pope as an “absolute gentleman and a wonderful role model with a strong work ethic”.

Ollie Pope

Stuart Ayres, the NSW sports minister, responded by saying “it is a rare moment that a NSW member of Parliament speaks with such passion about an Englishman”. On his return to England, Pope continued his consistent form and was selected for his Test debut against India. He credited his time in Sydney for “accelerating his progress as a professional cricketer”.

Pope and Crawley have followed Rory Burns, the Test opener, who has played for Randwick-Petersham and St George in the NSW Premier competition. After his maiden Test century in last year’s Ashes, he spoke of his time in Sydney and what he learned after coming under the tutelage of former Australian opener and present NSW coach, Phil Jacques. His advice to loosen his hands on the bat handle was crucial to Burns’ development.

Joe Denly has had extensive experience in Sydney where he has played for the Sixers. A first season for Sydney Cricket Club way back in 2006-07 was followed by his return in 2016-17 having played ODIs for England in the meantime. However it was his success in that returning season with 725 runs at 55.77 (including a superb 222 against Northern District and 161 against Manly) that played a role in kick starting a career that saw him make his Test debut at age 32 in 2019. He has gone to play all three formats for his country.

Joe Denly

Other recent England Test players have also plied their trade in Sydney grade cricket include Mason Crane the leg spinner who was so impressive in taking over 50 1^st grade wickets for Gordon that he was picked for the NSW Sheffield Shield team in 2017- such a rarity in NSW that we had to go back to Imran Khan in the mid -1980s for the last example of an overseas import. Selected for the Ashes tour next season, Crane fittingly made his Test debut at the SCG.

Another leg spinner to make his Test debut at the SCG was Scott Borthwick. In 2013-14 he had come to Sydney to play for Northern District. When Graeme Swann suddenly retired mid Ashes series, Borthwick was catapulted into the English team having taken just 11 wickets at 35 in a competition where he found the standard “very competitive”. In what has remained his only Test, Borthwick took 3 for 33 in the second innings including the wicket of fellow Northern District player Brad Haddin. He has since been mainly a higher order batsman for Durham and Surrey.

Mark Stoneman, the left- handed opener from Surrey and Durham, played as recently as last season for Bankstown having appeared in 2013-14 and 2015-16 before the first of his eleven Test matches. He played a crucial role in the 2015-16 premiership for Bankstown with his 699 runs at 63.55.

Ben Duckett who has played four Tests and three ODIs, was sent by Northamptonshire to play for Parramatta in 2014-15. The county had hoped that his progress would be accelerated as he had struggled with full time professionalism. It was not a total success as Duckett spent time in second grade at the club. Yet, he turned things around so much that he made his Test debut in Chittagong in October 2016. On a subsequent Lions tour, he infamously poured a drink over James Anderson in a Perth bar and was sent home. But this year he was named in the 55-man England squad that began training ahead of the delayed international summer. He is now with Durham.

As a 20-year-old, Tim Bresnan played for Sutherland in 2005-06 where he first came across a 16-year-old Steve Smith. He went on to represent England in 23 Tests and 85 ODIs. Having been with Yorkshire for almost two decades he joined Warwickshire this season.

Tim Bresnan

Two Irish Test players who have play county cricket have also spent time in Sydney. Tim Murtagh has had a long career at Middlesex and helped to bowl out England for just 85 when he captured 5 for 13 last year. He spent three seasons with Eastern Suburbs between 2005 and 2008 and one with Western Suburbs in 2004-05 impressing many with his unrelenting accuracy.

It is also worth noting that Andrew Balbirnie, a former Middlesex batsman, now playing for Glamorgan and the current Irish captain in all formats, had a season with Randwick -Petersham in 2016-17.

Finally, South African great, Morne Morkel, has been contracted to Surrey since his international retirement in 2018. His record of 309 Test wickets and 188 ODIs have made him an imposing figure for opponents of Manly in the past year

WHITE BALL INTERNATIONALISTS

Several England one day international players also have connections with the Sydney grade scene. Kent’s Sam Billings, who made a century against Australia in the first ODI of the recent series, played at Penrith in 2013-14 and has appeared for the Sydney Sixers.

Sam Billings

After Lancashire’s Matt Parkinson replaced Mason Crane as Gordon’s leg spinner and took almost 50 wickets in the season, he played two ODIs and two T20s for England in the last two years.

Stuart Meaker also played two ODIs and two T20s and impressed with his pace for Eastern Suburbs in 2018-19. Among his 33 victims that season, he took 8 for 42 against Mosman. A long-standing Surrey representative, he has moved to Sussex in 2020.

Like Meaker, Jade Dernbach is South African born fast bowler who has played many seasons for Surrey. He represented his country 58 times in white ball internationals between 2011 and 2014. Dernbach has had two seasons in Sydney ten years apart, firstly as a 19-year-old with Randwick -Petersham and then with Sydney in 2015-16.

THE ALMOST INTERNATIONALISTS

Sussex’s Phil Salt played for the Adelaide Strikers in 2019 BBL season. He has been in the England Twenty 20 squad and is in the reserve players list for the recent ODIs against Australia. He featured for St George in 2016-17.

Ollie Robinson, the opening bowler who was drafted into the “bubble” for the recent Test series against Pakistan and the West Indies, has also visited Sydney. Most recently, in 2017-18, he played for St George, having first been at Sydney. Robinson had success on last year’s Lions tour which came after having bowled on these wickets in grade cricket. This has certainly played a role in his joining the Test squad in 2020.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore had two seasons with Penrith during which he scored three centuries. A Worcestershire and Yorkshire county player, he has played 66 first class matches and averages 34.59 with the bat. He was named in 55-man group of players to begin training before international fixtures this season. Returning from Penrith, Kohler-Cadmore scored 127 from just 54 balls in a T20 match for Worcestershire.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore

2020 FIRST CLASS DEBUTANTS

Jack White has had to wait a long time for his first-class debut for Northamptonshire, but the 28-year-old seamer has taken 13 wickets at an average of 20 this county season. The turning point in his long journey was when he played for Parramatta in 2017-18, the season that the club won the 1^st grade title. As the only overseas player in the competition without a professional contract, he says that the experience toughened him up.

He recently told Nick Friend of The Cricketer magazine, “When you go over there, they just don’t rate English players until you’ve done well…you can’t just cruise..it made me realise that I could be good enough. It really made me step up- you can’t bowl a bad ball. ..It must improve your game because it got me to where I am.”

The following season, he was replaced at Parramatta by Ben Aitchison who has made his first-class debut for Derbyshire in recent months also. He had impressed in Sydney taking 26 wickets and returned ready for the step up.

20-year-old, wicketkeeper batsman, George Lavelle, has also made his first-class debut this season having represented North Sydney during the past two winters. A former England Under 19 player, he played his only first- class match in the Bob Willis Trophy earlier this month for Lancashire.

George Lavelle

THE PROMISING YOUNGSTERS

Another Ollie Robinson, who is Kent’s keeper and an under 19 England player, went to Campbelltown in 2018-19. Now 21, has played 23 first class matches for his county.

When Jamie Smith made a century (127) as an 18-year-old, it was the highest score for a Surrey first- class debutant. He followed this by travelling to Eastern Suburbs where he batted and kept wickets last season.

Harry Swindells followed Robinson and Pope as an English keeper at Campbelltown last season. He had first played for Leicestershire in 2019 as a 20-year-old.

Harry Swindells

As a 15-year-old, Jack Haynes, had a remarkable Green Shield (under 16) season for Sydney in helping them to a competition victory. His innings of 188 and 164 in the 50 over-over-aside round matches showed his potential in a stint which the Worcestershire Academy coach, Elliot Wilson, described as “fantastic for him”. Haynes has gone on to represent England under 19s and his first-class debut was against the touring Australians in 2019.

Tom Haines played for St George last summer and was just 17 when he played his initial first-class match for Sussex in 2016. He has scored two centuries for his county.

Aaron Beard as an 18-year-old had a dream debut for Essex against Sri Lanka in 2016 capturing a wicket in each of his first two overs.  After his season with Manly in 2018-19, he said “I’ve come back, and I’d say I’m a better bowler than I was.”

Delray Rawlins, the 23-year-old Bermudan all-rounder, played at Sydney in 2017-18 and was man of the match in the T20 Sydney final won by the club. He has been one of the stars of this year’s Vitality Blast for Sussex for whom he has a strike rate of over 140 with the bat.

Will Buttleman, another wicket keeper batsman, has been at both Mosman and Northern District. In between his stints he played his only first-class match for Essex against Yorkshire in June 2019.

Jordan Thompson, the 23- year- old Yorkshire fast bowler played for Mosman two seasons ago. His seven first class matches have included a score of 98 and 20 wickets taken at the healthy average of 17.55.

Top order batsman, Josh Dell, was at Mosman last season and has played seven matches for Worcestershire.

All- rounder, Ryan Patel came to University of NSW in 2017-18 and has gone on to play 26 first class matches for Surrey. The highlight of this burgeoning career has been his 6 for 5 against Somerset in 2018.

Ryan Patel

Josh Bohannon, the 23-year-old all-rounder, played for Randwick-Petersham in 2017-18 scoring over 600 runs. He made his debut Lancashire on his return home and in 21 first class matches he is averaging 41. “It’s been a great experience to come here and play on different pitches, bat and bowl against different people and, generally, be out of my comfort zone,” he said of his time at Coogee.

Jack Plom from Essex played one 1^st grade match for Gordon in 2018-19 having made his first-class debut earlier that year. He has since been a regular in the T20 Essex team in the last month.

Harry Brook was also at UNSW where he used his experience after debuting for Yorkshire as a 17-year-old. A former under 19 English captain, he made 1001 runs in all matches for the University in 2018-19.

THE AUSSIE BORN COUNTY PLAYERS

Sam Robson played seven Tests for England and has scored almost 10000 first class runs for Middlesex but has regularly appeared for Eastern Suburbs for many seasons with his brother Angus who has played for Leicestershire, Sussex and Durham.

Sam Robson

Nathan Sowter, Middlesex’s leg spinner has played for Sydney and Blacktown since 2009-10. When he made his debut for his county in a T20 match, he took two wickets in the four balls that he bowled. Sowter has been a regular in that format ever since, while also breaking into the first-class team.

Mitch Claydon the 37-year-old veteran has played 112 first class matches mainly in the county scene for Yorkshire, Durham, Kent and Sussex and played many years of Sydney grade cricket as a fast-medium bowler. Claydon has returned as an up and coming umpire in the Sydney grade scene as well as a coach for the Sydney Sixers.

Grant Stewart an all-rounder from Kalgoorlie was encouraged by Claydon whom he played with in Newcastle to move to England and use his European passport. By the end of his first season in Kent, he had made his first-class debut. In the middle of 2018 against Middlesex, Stewart took 6 for 22 and followed this with 103 from just 71 balls. He played one match for Sydney in 2018-19.

Top order batsman, Paul Horton, was Sydney born, first played for Lancashire in 2003 until 2015 when he joined Leicestershire where he has been captain. He has scored over 12 000 first- class runs including 24 centuries at the top of the order. Having played for Randwick-Petersham back in 2004-06, Horton made a stunning return to Sydney when averaging 79.4 for Blacktown in 2017-18.

Nick Selman was born in Brisbane but played the first of his 56 first class matches for Glamorgan in 2016. He has since scored seven centuries for his adopted county. In 2017-18 he opened for UNSW and scored four centuries and a 98 and 97 among his 904 runs.

Timm van der Gugten made his first grade debut for UNSW at just 15 years of age. He was the seventh youngest to do so. Ever since he has a remarkable career: at 20 he was selected for NSW in the Sheffield Shield; moving to Tasmania, he played one day matches for the state and T20s for the Hobart Hurricanes; in the meantime, the fast medium pacer played four ODIs and 39 T20Is for the Netherlands thanks to his Dutch born father. In 2016 he began playing for Glamorgan in all three formats and took 82 wickets in a stellar first season. Recently, he dismissed Ian Bell in his last first-class innings for 90.

Timm van der Gugten

THE REGULARS FROM ENGLAND

Jack Leaning an experienced batsman has been a regular visitor to Sutherland since 2013-14. Last year was his fourth at the club. Previously with Yorkshire, Leaning is now at Kent and has played 73 first class matches.

Matt Critchley the leg spinning all- rounder who has played for Randwick-Petersham in 2016-17 and two seasons for Fairfield- Liverpool since. He first featured for Derbyshire in 2015 and became the county’s youngest century maker in just his second first class match.

Aaron Lilley off spinning all-rounder had mainly played T20s for Lancashire before transferring to Leicestershire last year. He was at Blacktown for four seasons between 2014 and 2018 scoring three centuries in the top grade.

Aaron Lilley

Nick Browne has scored over 5000 first class runs for as an opener for Essex. His 206 for Mosman in 2015-16, is the highest innings by an Englishman in Sydney grade cricket. His three years at Mosman were productive.

Josh Poysden, the English Lions leg spinner, first appeared in lower grades at Gordon in 2009-10 before returning there for two further seasons. A highlight was his dismissal of Michael Clarke who was attempting to prove his fitness before the World Cup.  Another two seasons with Northern District followed. He was at Warwickshire before joining Yorkshire in 2019. While substituting in the field in the third Ashes Test of 2015 he caught Mitchell Starc from Moeen Ali’s bowling.

Jake Lintott left arm wrist spinner played four seasons for North Sydney. While he has not played any first-class matches, Lintott has played white ball cricket for Glamorgan and is currently performing well in the T20 competition.

THE COUNTY CAPTAINS

Sam Northeast is now the Hampshire captain having previously been the skipper at Kent, the middle order batsman has been talked about in terms of England selection for several years and has represented England Lions. As a 21-year-old he averaged 57 for Sydney in 2010-11. “It was good challenge and I enjoyed my time there,” he said on his return to England.

Middlesex captain, Stevie Eskinazi is South African but born and raised in Perth, he holds both British and Australian citizenship. His recent T20 form in England has been outstanding with a strike rate of 149 at the top of the order. Eskinazi played a key for Sydney in 2018-19 when he averaged 64.56. Unlike many county he plans to return to Sydney this coming season about which he told The Cricketer magazine just this month “It’s a good standard, has good facilities, and has worked really well for me …For a young batter, I think it’s a no brainer, you don’t have the physical demands that bowlers do, so you’re just trying to soak up as much knowledge and experience as you can.”

Ned Eckersley the 31-year-old Durham captain batted and kept wickets for Western Suburbs for two seasons between 2016 and 2018. Originally, he played for Leicestershire for whom he scored three centuries in successive matches in 2016.

Ned Eckersley

OTHERS

Kent’s highly regarded opener, Daniel Bell Drummond, has impressed many in the past two seasons for Randwick-Petersham while scoring 1197 runs at 54.41. He helped the club win the 1^st grade competition earlier this year. An English Lions representative, he has been at his county since 2011 and played over 300 matches across all three formats.

Daniel Bell-Drummond

Nick Gubbins, the Middlesex left hander, took Sydney CC to a T20 National Club victory as player of the match in the final. Another England Lions player, he had endured three disappointing summers before heading down under.  On his return home he declared “I was playing hard-nosed cricket with great blokes…that liberated me…this winter helped me enjoy cricket”. His scores of 192 and 60 in the first county match of 2020 seemed to be no coincidence.

Fast bowlers have been forced to adapt to the harder Australian wickets. Western Suburbs last season had Ivan Thomas the experienced Kent cricketer who has taken 74 wickets since first playing in 2012; North Sydney have hosted left arm quick, Toby Lester in 2016-17 who has played 13 first class matches for Lancashire and Adam Barton from Sussex who captured a match winning 7 for 71; Nathan Buck played two seasons for Manly taking a hattrick in a T20 match. His 96 first class matches have included matches for Leicestershire, Lancashire and now Northamptonshire; Brett Hutton for Sydney in 2013-14 when he was playing for Nottinghamshire. In 2018 he moved to Northamptonshire where he had success with the ball and a career best 8 for 57.

Rob Keogh has been at Northamptonshire for eight years as a batting all-rounder. After his 2014-15 season for Western Suburbs, he surprised everyone with his haul of 9 for 52 against Glamorgan with his off spinners and John Simpson is another very experienced county player who had a season at Western Suburbs a lot earlier in his career. The Middlesex wicket keeper has played 160 first class matches and in 2010-11 came out to Sydney.

Ryan Higgins born in Zimbabwe, started at Middlesex before moving to Gloucestershire in 2017. His bowling has developed (127 wickets at 21.62). A contract in The Hundred has been earned. In 2014 when he went to Australia to play for Randwick-Petersham. In an honest assessment looking back, he says “I really struggled actually, I found the different culture, different environment difficult….I don’t regret going to Australia, it was a really good place to go play cricket, but it was tougher than I thought it would be…”

Ryan Higgins

Harry Finch is a Sussex born and bred batsman who has over 50 first class matches experience but struggled at St George in 2016-17.

Andrew Salter made the trip out to Blacktown in 2015-16 and averaged over 50 with the bat. In 2013 he claimed a wicket with his ball in the County Championship for Glamorgan with his off breaks.

Aron Nijar, a left arm spinner, first played for Essex in 2015 taking the wickets of Michael Clarke and Adam Voges in the match against the touring Australians. He has played 13 first class matches, while he represented Eastern Suburbs in 2018-19. He is having a successful T20 season in 2020 for his county.

Nick Compton, Monty Panesar, Will Smith, Jaik Mickleburg, Richard Jones and Fabian Cowdrey are among those recently retired county players who have also played in the grade scene in Sydney.

The English Cricket Board has played a key role in promoting opportunities for their players by placing them at clubs in Sydney. The International Cricket program also places aspiring and current professional cricketers in Sydney.

It was interesting to note that a recent article by Paul Amy in the Melbourne Herald-Sun looked at overseas imports into Melbourne Premier Cricket. He concluded that with few gaps in international fixtures, these imports have been far less common there recently. Last season, it seems that Luke Wells from Sussex was the only county cricketer in the whole competition.

So, Sydney grade cricket is certainly continuing to be an ideal real breeding ground for English county cricketers. Whether COVID-19 will affect this trend will soon to be seen. Regardless, let’s hope that an Ashes victory to England in Australia next season isn’t the end result!