Picture YCCC. Yorkshire’s Under 16s celebrate their national County Cup title earlier this month. Team manager Jack Stockdale far left back row, head coach Karanjit Bansal fourth from right back row.
Karanjit Bansal and Jack Stockdale are stood in the Headingley press box watching over Yorkshire’s first team make light work of Somerset in their recent Rothesay County Championship. They are discussing young players who it is hoped will one day go on to emulate the exploits of Ben Cliff, George Hill and Dom Bess et al.
Bansal is the lead coach of Yorkshire’s Boys Under 16s and Stockdale their team manager.
That team had not long since won the County Cup, beating Surrey in a one-sided final at Brockington, by 81 runs on Sunday September 13.
For a side captained by Oli Shepherd, star showings had come from Safiullah Abrar with 89 and Ollie Wilson with 68 in the White Rose’s 259-7 before James Galley claimed a superb 5-35 from 10 overs as Surrey were bowled out for 178 in response.
Spoiler alert, Bansal and Stockdale are effusive in their praise of this group. But so they should be, for the Under 16s won eight group games out of eight and then a quarter-final, a semi-final and a final.
“We have some exceptional players in this team, but it’s always somebody else each week who does it,” said Stockdale.
“One example from the final was Ollie Wilson. He hit five sixes in his 68 off 64 balls and was the only player to play a significant innings over a-run-a-ball.
Picture YCCC. Ollie Wilson bats in the final against Surrey.
“The outfield was lush, and what he did was ID that straightaway and say, ‘Right, I’m going to hit over the top’.
“Safiullah’s innings was unreal as well. He hit two fours in 140-odd balls opening the batting, and he was unbelievable in how he managed the innings. He knocked it around and didn’t give a chance.
“With the ball, George Lancaster opened up really well. Ashwin Krishnan and Alex Davis’s figures don’t stand out in the scorecard but they have been unbelievable throughout the tournament. And they are just a few of many top performers.”
Bansal agrees, and highlighted captain Shepherd for particular praise: “Oli as skipper deserves a lot of credit.
“Oli recognised that seam wasn’t working as well and went to spin earlier than usual. Then Charlie Richardson and James Galley each got a wicket with their first balls (71-2 in the 18th over), and the game just changed.
“He’s been an outstanding captain. The way he reads the game, changes bowlers, puts fielders in hotspots, he’s very intuitive. He’s always thinking on his feet.
“He took a brilliant catch at deep mid-wicket to win it as well, and that was one of the hotspots he’d identified because Surrey were going for it at that stage.”
Picture YCCC. Safiullah Abrar at the crease against Surrey.
Stockdale adds: “The amount of times through the season we’d be walking around the boundary along with Mick Pickering (the team’s assistant coach) and say between ourselves, ‘I think he should do this’. And before you know it, he’s done it already. As Karanjit says, Oli’s been fantastic.”
Bansal continues: “One thing I thought was that the Under 18s’ final against Somerset, which they lost, set up the Under 16s’ final.
“Five of them played for the Under 18s, and they were like, ‘That’s not happening again’. They definitely used it as fuel.”
While Bansal and Stockdale have reserved significant praise for the players, they have also given a nod to the Yorkshire supporters, a group of whom were regular attendees at matches.
“We really do thank them for their support,” said Bansal. “They came to every game and the final, and it meant a lot.”
They watched Abrar total 377 runs through the campaign – the fifth best in the competition – and Ashwin Krishnan lead the way with 18 wickets. He was in the competition’s top 10 leading wicket-takers.
“All the things the Yorkshire members want, these lads have been it,” said Stockdale. “Heart, desire and skill.
PIcture YCCC. Spinner James Galley was key to Yorkshire’s final triumph over Surrey.
“We said to the lads at the start of the game, and I know this sounds corny. But, ‘We don’t really care about the result today. You’ve done it. You’ve won the season in our eyes, if you finish today the same way you’ve played all year’.
“What we wanted to see was for them not to panic, stick together and work hard. ‘If you do that and lose, fine. If you do that and win, we’ll be even happier’.”
Bansal said: “I don’t actually think we saw them panic once in the competition.
“The Cheshire game in the group stage got tough. They needed 10 to win off 11 balls with four wickets left, and we took those four wickets for one run.”
While a number of the Under 16s have also played up in the Under 18s, there have been those in the Under 14s and Under 15s who have stepped up as well.
The likes of Oscar Elliott, Tom Frankland, George Lamb, Rafe Gooden and James Shaw fall into that category.
“One of the cool things about this team, historically this age-group haven’t been the best in terms of results,” said Stockdale. “They were quite small lads who would play against the bigger stronger lads from Staffordshire, or against Warwickshire and Lancashire, who were good, strong sides.
Picture YCCC. Players, coaches, family and friends celebrate the County Cup title triumph.
“But we always thought and hoped that skill would catch up, and it has done.
“Now they’re the best team in the country. I would put them up against anyone. They should be really proud of themselves.”
While Stockdale has been a long standing member of the Pathway management, Bansal – the cousin of former Yorkshire senior physio Ku – has only been with the club in his role as High Performance Coach for a year.
And Stockdale added: “The really cool thing about the Pathway, and it’s something we’re so proud to shout about, is that when the club took over the Pathway in 2022, there have been 15 finals available in 50-over cricket in the country since then. Yorkshire have been in seven of them, which is ridiculous.
“We’ve won three of them.
“We’ve won the 14s in 2022, the 18s in 2024, and now we’ve won the 16s.”
Picture YCCC. Captain Oli Shephard and his team-mates pose with the Under 16s County Cup trophy.
“I’ve loved working with these lads,” added Bansal. “It’s been such a privilege.
“It’s not just that they’ve won it, it’s how they’ve done it.
“The team vibe, the togetherness, the unity and the willingness to put the team first. That’s one of Anthony McGrath’s biggest things, team first.
“They’re a good set of lads who are highly skilled cricketers.
