Tom Hartley’s headline role in England’s famous victory in India has left members of his hometown club “basking in the reflected glory” of a rags-to-riches Test debut.
After Hartley’s second-innings seven for 62 sealed a famous 28-run win in Hyderabad on Sunday, Ormskirk CC offered a free drink to their patrons as they celebrated one of their own’s remarkable success.
Hartley progressed through the juniors at Ormskirk, a market town in Lancashire 13 miles north of Liverpool, and was even playing the odd game for them up until a couple of years ago.
He still has close ties to the club as his father’s flower business supplies their hanging baskets, so it is little wonder there was unconfined joy at Hartley’s accomplishments on the subcontinent.
“It’s a massive, massive achievement for him,” club chair Bill Rankin told the PA news agency. “We’re all basking in the reflected glory, just to have been part of his cricket career.
“We’d have been watching it anyway as cricket fans and that was a fantastic result but to have a fantastic result where you know someone who’s been a significant part of that, it adds a new element.
“It was a great game, full stop, but it was an even greater game when you know someone who was making it happen. It’s like a dream what happened to him on Sunday.
“This is the first time we’ve had someone who’s come through juniors who played at the highest level. That’s why it’s such a special moment as a club because he really is one of our own.”
Hartley endured a turbulent start to his Test career as his maiden delivery was dispatched for six by Yashasvi Jaiswal, with the slow left-armer’s opening nine-over burst leaking an eye-watering 63 runs.
But from humble beginnings, Hartley showed his redoubtable character when the game was in the balance after India were set 231, snaring their top three then taking the final wicket as England went 1-0 up.
The unwavering support of captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum echoes how Hartley was treated at Ormskirk after stepping up to adult level in his early teens.
“The way he’s been captained and looked after at Ormskirk, he’s been backed,” Rankin added. “It’s a healthy way to bring people on.
“He’s been given the ball even when he was fairly young at a time when it could make the difference to a game, told not to worry about the outcome and he’s won games that could have gone the other way.
“It’s nice to think that at the highest level he can play at, he seems to be getting that same sort of backing where you can play in an environment where you’re not afraid to fail.”
Ormskirk’s X feed on Sunday garnered plenty of attention, while a video posted by their first-team captain showing a younger Hartley standing on a table and singing ‘I wanna dance with Tom Hartley’ to Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ has been viewed nearly a quarter of a million times.
Held in the highest regard by his old club, Rankin hopes this is just the start of the 24-year-old’s journey.
“It was always obvious he was a talented cricketer but I think his progress has been a steady one,” Rankin added. “He’s been steady, steady and improving all the time.
“You’ve got to work really hard to get yourself in the situation where you have the opportunity to do what he’s done. He has done that.
“Hopefully he’ll keep on doing that, we believe he’s capable of doing it, obviously others do now so fingers crossed.”
Second washout stops England and Pakistan's T20 World Cup preparation
For the second time this series, England and Pakistan saw a game abandoned due to rain, this time at Sophia Gardens on Tuesday.
After their opening game at Headingley was washed out, the teams endured another frustrating day in Cardiff as the umpires called off the third match without a single bowl being bowled.
England’s 23-run victory at Edgbaston on Saturday means they have an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series.
However, Pakistan have one last chance to level things at The Oval on Thursday before both teams head off to the United States for the T20I World Cup in June.
“We got taught a lesson”: van der Dussen credits Windies for dominant performance in T20I series
South Africa stand-in Captain Rassie van der Dussen gave his West Indian counterparts all the praise in the world after his side suffered a dominant 0-3 defeat in their three T20Is from May 23-26 at Sabina Park in Kingston.
The hosts won last Thursday’s first encounter by 28 runs, their biggest win over South Africa in T20Is, and followed it up with a 16-run win in the second game on Saturday and a dominant eight-wicket triumph in the third match on Sunday.
The skipper put the South African performance down to an inability to quickly adapt to the conditions of the Sabina Park pitch.
“We just couldn’t adapt early enough. Yes, we had a long week in terms of layovers in Miami and so forth. I think we saw that in the first match but you can’t keep making the same mistakes,” van der Dussen said after Sunday’s game.
“I think we just got taught a lesson on how to play in Caribbean conditions, especially from a bowling front. It was a difficult wicket to bat on. I think they just out-skilled us, especially with the ball,” he added.
When asked about positives he could take from the three games, he singled out openers Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks as well as young leg-spinner Nqaba Peter who played the last two games, the first two T20Is of his career.
The 35-year-old, who was left out of South Africa’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, says an adjustment he hopes the team makes with the bat is to take a few more chances up front.
“Maybe just be a bit braver. We saw the way the West Indies play, especially in the power play. They really take it on and when the ball’s newer, it’s easier to score than in the back end when the ball gets soft,” he said.
Almost there: Lynch says Kensington Oval just about ready for T20 World Cup
With the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup now just only a few days away, Chairman of the National Organising Committee Noel Lynch says the iconic Kensington Oval is just about ready for the showpiece which is scheduled to begin on Saturday.
Lynch’s confirmation came during a media tour of the venue, which will host nine matches, including the June 29 final.
“Kensington Oval has never looked as good as it does right now. The field, in particular, is in its best condition ever, and those who have played on it are nodding in agreement,” Lynch opined.
Though some finishing touches are still being applied, Lynch praised the dedication and hard work of the curators and groundsmen, as he declared the Oval is ready to host cricket matches.
“We are not boasting, but we are ready. We’re 95 per cent to 99 per cent ready,” he declared.
The infrastructural improvements to the Oval include upgrades to the bathroom facilities, the inclusion of a three-tier hospitality suite, upgrades to the media centre and the erection of a temporary stand with a 2,500 seating capacity.
Aside from the World Cup, Lynch pointed out that they are also engaging the local community through the KOMI Good Neighbor Programme. The programme focuses on involving residents from nearby areas, providing them with job opportunities related to the Oval’s upkeep.
“This isn’t just about the World Cup; it’s about an ongoing, sustainable programme,” Lynch said.
“We have walked every avenue in Pickwick Gap, gone house to house with the member of parliament, and engaged with the community directly,” he added.
Finally, there will be an open house on Wednesday, where Barbadians and visitors are invited to get a firsthand look on the upgraded Oval ahead of the World Cup. Gates will open at 1:00pm.
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