One of the most difficult decisions a club can face during the winter is who to select for your professional. Do you go for an overseas player, an upcoming youngster with something to prove, or an experienced head who has seen it all.
Despite my baby faced exterior and playful immature banter, I have actually been around Premier League cricket for over 13 years now, and so I have seen a wide range of all of the above come and go.
Sometimes, the big name can be a good decision. Increased crowds, friendly umpiring (let’s face it they have come to see him bat as much as the paying spectator), and intimidated opponents all combine to create a successful campaign. However, it does not always produce the league title or relegation survival that was desired. Why?? Well, there is more to success than necessarily having the best player in the league.
I remember in my early days playing in the Northern League, a Darwen side who were propelled to the title by their professional. It was not just his runs or wickets that made the crucial difference (although there is no doubt his 818 runs and 66 wickets helped!). It was more his transformation of the attitude and culture of a side who had been perennial under achievers. His name was Richard Petrie from New Zealand, and one of the first things he did when he arrived was to take over training. Suddenly, from just going through the motions of a Thursday net session, training sessions became just that. They worked on their fielding, tightened up on their bowling and batted at practice with purpose. The results followed.
In addition to taking on a coaching role, it is also important your professional buys into the culture of the club. I was always so excited as a youngster when our new pro arrived at Lancaster. All winter I had been waiting for a chance to meet them, see them in action and above all work hard to maybe play alongside them. I remember the first time I met Mark Boucher as a 13 year old in 1997, I had heard this boy might be the future of South African cricket and I couldn’t wait to see him in action. Unfortunately his 261 league runs at 21 a piece was lower than we wanted, but he came to junior sessions, trained with great work ethic and set the example for the younger players to aspire to.
Gareth Breese (c) Getty Images
The best two club professionals I have played with have been Gareth Breese, now a seasoned campaigner with Durham, and Glamorgan Vice Captain Jimmy Allenby. Breese while pro at Lancaster, was a superb club man, doing work on the ground, umpiring and coaching the junior games and spending his time working to develop the club as a whole. He was much loved and although his performances with the bat were probably not as significant as we desired, his mentoring as a bowler helped me to develop as a Premier League bowler.
Allenby, who was allocated to us by the county (a system used in Leicestershire) while I played for Leicester Ivanhoe, came to us as a upcoming all-rounder. Sometimes, allocated players look for any excuse not to play, but Jimmy (Harold Larwood as we knew him after his tempestuous bodyline bowling spells when someone had rubbed him up the wrong way) went out of his way to play for us, scoring big and taking key wickets.
Jimmy Allenby (c) ECB
This year at Kimberley I think we have an excellent blend. Dan Birch clearly has the track record of success in both professional and league cricket. Not only that, with the fact he is taking on the role of Head Coach, this will enable all of us to spend time refining our game and in addition, allow Sam to focus on the important role of being captain. Akhil Patel is definitely a man with a point to prove and I really hope he can build on the successful season he had with us last year. When he is in full flow he is a pleasure to watch. Let’s just hope the weather eases and we can get out and play some cricket this weekend.
