Jonny Tattersall has highlighted 2024 as his favourite summer with Yorkshire – but he believes next year could be even better.
Wicketkeeper-batter Tattersall, alongside his team-mates, is still basking in the glory of Vitality County Championship promotion, achieved late last month during the home draw against Northamptonshire at Headingley.
Yorkshire won five of their last seven matches to finish second in Division Two behind champions Sussex.
Tattersall has been speaking to yorkshireccc.com about a series of moments he believes were key to the county’s promotion-winning campaign. And we will be going through them in the lead-up to Christmas.
The 29-year-old captained the county in six Championship matches this term in the absence of regular captain Shan Masood, and he oversaw a quartet of victories from late June onwards, including one against champions Sussex at Scarborough.
Picture by John Heald. Jonny Tattersall en-route to one of his two summer centuries, this one against Derbyshire at Chesterfield in late June.
Personally, Tattersall scored 643 runs with two hundreds and two fifties from the middle order added to 28 catches – the majority behind the stumps – and a stumping.
This was his seventh season of first-class cricket having debuted in 2018, and only once before (658 runs, 2019) has he scored more runs.
“I’d say that it was my favourite season, yes,” said Tattersall.
“The way it all unfolded.
“Even though we didn’t win a game in the first half of the season, you could certainly see the potential that we had. We just weren’t converting the good cricket we were playing into results.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Yorkshire’s squad celebrates promotion after the season-ending draw against Northamptonshire last month.
“We were disappointed with the T20 and 50-over stuff. We only scratched the surface on what we know we’re capable of.
“But, then, to go on that run in the Championship during the second half was amazing.”
On his own form, Tattersall said: “I’ve played since 2018, and my first season of first-class cricket is definitely a highlight.
“I had some good contributions in that, but this year has been my best personally with the bat even though I still felt I was some runs short of where I could have been.
“I didn’t perhaps go on and get the scores I could or should have early-season, but that was partly down to opportunity. There were stages when I came in close to a declaration and things like that.”
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Jonny Tattersall captained Yorkshire for much of the second half of the season.
But more important than his own form was Yorkshire’s progress back to Division One, where the Knaresborough product is confident they can have a positive impact under new head coach Anthony McGrath, who was appointed by the club earlier this week.
“In 2019, we were up and down – win one, lose one,” he added.
“In 2020, that was what it was, the Covid summer.
“I didn’t play a huge amount in 2021, and 2022 was a bad season for the club with us getting relegated. Last year, was very hampered by the weather.
“But this year has been the best and most enjoyable.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Jonny Tattersall bats with man-of-the-moment Harry Brook, against Glamorgan at Headingley early this season. Brook today scored a triple century for England against Pakistan.
“The dressing room is in a really good place, and I feel, with where we’re at as a team, that next year could be my most enjoyable again.
“It feels like we’re on an upwards trajectory as a team, and I’m sure it’s going to be very enjoyable going forwards.
“It might not be necessarily winning a Championship, but you never know.
“There’s no reason why we can’t go and win matches and compete against the best. If you do that, anything can happen.”
