by Guy Williams
An injury to a knee cap forced Yorkshire’s opening bat, Will Fraine, to miss the last two Championship matches against Kent and Warwickshire, meaning he was robbed of the opportunity to build on the promising start made in his first season at Headingley.
Fraine’s potential was seen at Scarborough at the end of June when, against Surrey, he scored his first and so far only Championship hundred-106 from 149 balls in which Fraine struck 19 fours and one six.
Taking over from Harry Brook, now batting in the middle order, Fraine has appeared in eight Championship games, scoring just short of 400 runs at an average of 28, and has gone on to establish an opening partnership with Adam Lyth that shows signs of developing into one of substance.
From Meltham near Huddersfield, Fraine, a former Durham University skipper, was given the chance to open following decent form for Yorkshire Seconds-three centuries-and several failures by Brook.
Now, having tasted some success during his debut season, Fraine is determined to correct the faults he’s noticed in his technique so that he can confirm his position in the Yorkshire side.
“I’m going to Australia in November to play for Gordon Cricket Club in Sydney and also attend a training camp at the Sydney Cricket Ground for two months. I’ll be training hard making sure I nail down the things I thought about in the season. I can definitely improve on my concentration.
“As a young opener in my first season there were instances when you look at some of my dismissals and ask: Is that a glitch in my concentration? I’ve also found it hard to be patient because I like to get a move on.
“I chatted to Gary Ballance during the Warwickshire game at York. He told me to remember that Championship cricket is over four days and you’ve got to bat a long, long time. Gary also said that when you’ve reached 30 or 40, you’ve got to be tighter. You’ve got to concentrate on your defence even more.
“The other point to look at is that I’m quite early on the ball, my hands get out in front of myself and sometimes my head gets too far across. I don’t play the ball late like Gary who’s the best at Yorkshire in playing it late.”
The elation Fraine felt as he reached his first Championship hundred is a sensation he’s confident of seeing repeated.
“When I got my hundred I thought to myself: ‘I can compete with these guys.’ I described it to my family as being like a drug addict getting your first hit. I want to feel that again and again.Getting a hundred really is a magical feeling.
“I sometimes have to pinch myself when I’m walking out opening the Yorkshire batting. Aged 15, I idolized Adam Lyth and wanted to bat like him. He makes you feel relaxed, never overcomplicates anything and he can have a joke with you.
“We’ve been complimented on our running between the wickets and I hope our partnership will go upwards if I can keep on improving by fulfilling more of my potential.”
