Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Yorkshire’s lead Academy coach John Major, whose side are in the County Cup 50-over final on Monday. Cover photo, captain Peter Greenfield.
Yorkshire’s boys Academy will play in the Under 18s County Cup final for the third successive year on Monday when they face Somerset at Kibworth CC in Leicestershire on Monday, starting at 10.30am.
The White Rose were winners against Middlesex in 2024 before being beaten by Glamorgan last season in a game which started the venue in question and was then replayed the following week at Headingley because of rain.
This year, batting captain Peter Greenfield will lead a side who were given a bye in the first round of this knockout 50-over competition before beating Northern trio Cumbria, Lancashire and Durham added to a semi-final success over Worcestershire at Weetwood earlier this month.
They are under new coaching stewardship in the form of John Major, who follows in the footsteps of Tom Craddock and James Martin, the latter who overseas Yorkshire’s performance pathway.
“The young side that we’ve got, it’s an exciting group,” said Major. “We’ve done well across T20 and 50-over cricket this season.
“Particularly in the 50-over stuff, we’ve had different lads getting hundreds.
“In the semi-final against Worcestershire, it got a bit nervy. At one point I was quite concerned. But an innings from Subhaan Ali at the back end really shone through.
“Ultimately, we’ve seen it throughout the year that lads down the order have come in and done really well at stages where you think, ‘Oh, this could be a bit nervous’.”
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Subhaan Ali scored a key half-century in the semi-final win over Worcestershire.
Hundreds have been scored by Callum Armstrong and Greenfield, while the wickets have been shared around. The only four-wicket haul for the county, for example, came from Charlie R Taylor in the semi-final against Worcestershire.
That game saw Yorkshire post 247 all out and the Pears respond with 230 all out. Major’s earlier reference of a key knock from Ali relates to a middle-order 55 to lead a recovery from 93-6.
“Both innings were a carbon copy,” said Major. “A few early wickets and then a partnership at the back end. Not that they took many wickets, but I thought our spinners Louie Wilson and Charlie Richardson were really brilliant and brought us back into the game after they had a decent start.
“We’ve done quite well in this competition previously, but this will be my first final. I’m looking forward to it.
“We played Somerset in the red-ball earlier in the summer, and they’re a good side. They’ve got some very good players at that age-group.
“It’s going to be quite interesting. But, ultimately, I’d back our boys in any game with the talent that we’ve got.”
Asked to reflect on some key moments through the campaign, Major continued: “It’s always nice to beat Lancashire. Pete Greenfield got a hundred that day, Louie a fifty. With the ball, Subhaan a three-for.
“But I’d say the real key moment came in the quarter-final up at the Riverside against Durham. With 244, we said as a group that we were probably 20 or 30 short. The game was definitely in the balance.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Key wickets for the spin of Louie Wilson.
“Other players stood up, though.
“Callum Armstrong, who was only 16, came to the fore with 70 before the bowlers stood up. Theo McLelland took three and Charlie and Louie two apiece.
“The biggest positive for me is seeing the lads under more pressure as the competition goes deeper. That can only be a good thing as lads hopefully go on and represent the first team in similar situations.”
As for the season overall, the Under 18s have won one of four Championship matches so far added to reaching Finals Day in their T20 competition at Brockington last month. They were beaten semi-finalists by Kent.
“If someone had offered me a 50-over final, a T20 semi-final and some tight red-ball games at Durham and Nottingham and us batting for draws, I would have taken it,” assessed Major.
“Our opening batter, Safiullah Abrar, got a hundred last week in an outstanding innings against Notts, and he’s currently 15-years-old.
“We’ve got lads who are 16, 17, and we’ve got a couple of lads who are 18.
“I think virtually nearly all the Academy players have played second-team cricket this year.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWPix.com. Safiullah Abrar scored a recent red-ball century.
“We’ve had Bradley Sylvester play in the England Under 19s, we had six lads down at the Super 4s last week in Subhaan Ali, Joe Hayes, Peter Greenfield, Charlie Richardson, Callum Armstrong and Tom Bradley.
“We’ve also had Charlie Rose, Rafe Gooden and George Lamb at Bunbury. They’ve all been playing for the Academy and doing well.
“We’ve got a really young crop of players but good players, and hopefully they continue to put in the performances to get noticed higher up.”
