Successful Salopian Cricketers Selected for County Club Programmes

Several cricketing pupils have ‘bowled over’ county cricket teams to land places in Emerging Players Programmes and academies.

Our cricketing stars have impressed county cricket teams ranging from Warwickshire, Lancashire and Worcestershire, to be included in the 2021 intake for EPP and academies.  

Adam Shantry, Cricket Professional at Shrewsbury School, said: "All the young players have done something quite special. Having invested themselves so completely in their pursuit of excellence in the winter of 2019/20, the events of last year deprived them of the chance to even set foot on the Salopian cricket fields in our Summer Term. The disappointment was palpable.

“Despite this setback, they, as with all our young cricketers, have responded with chins up and chests out, returning once again to their training with renewed vigour, and a determination that their ambitions will be fulfilled. They deserve the very highest praise.”

The pupils whose talents have been recognised by county teams are:

Theo W (IV, PH) who has been selected for the Warwickshire CCC EPP after impressing for Staffordshire CCC over the past few seasons. A left-arm seamer and top-order batsman, Theo has delighted the Warwickshire coaches with his ability to bowl with the new and old ball, swinging it at the start of the innings and using his variations effectively at the death. He is also capable of match-winning innings with the bat at County age group level, including stellar performances at the Shrewsbury School Festivals. He also represented the School 1st XI against Malvern College in our abbreviated 2020 season, and we look forward to seeing much more of him, for both school and County, in 2021.

Jermal P (IV, R) has been included in the Lancashire CCC EPP 2021 intake. A bowler with genuine pace, who also has real potential with the bat, Jermal is another who has already represented the School 1st XI in only his first week as a Fourth Former. Dedicated to his sport, Jermal has impressed the school cricket staff and the Lancashire coaches with his incredible work ethic and determination to improve and will now seek to transform his potential into strong performances over the next few years.

Harvey W (V, SH) has also been celebrating, having been selected for the Lancashire CCC Academy. Harvey is primarily a new ball bowler but has also batted in the top 3 for the School 1st XI against Warwickshire in 2020. He has worked diligently on the technical aspects of his bowling, and standing well over 6 feet tall, will be looking for the much-desired combination of pace, bounce, and movement over the coming months. 

Jack H(IV, RB) has earned a promotion to the Worcestershire CCC Academy after many years in their youth set-up. Yet another of our pupils with all-round potential, Jack is a batsman with the ability to be both dogged and flamboyant, and a seam bowler with more than a yard of pace. He opened the batting in both of the School’s 1st XI games in 2020, playing an important role in an opening stand of 67 with Harry Cooke in our win over Warwickshire, as well as showing his skills with the ball in the same game. 

JJ Fielding (U6, RT) spent much of 2020 competing against the brightest young cricketing talent in the country and has benefitted hugely from several residential training sessions with the England Young Lions. A left-handed batsman of the highest quality, he has integrated with the rest of our young players fantastically. While the loss of our Summer Term in 2020 robbed us of the chance to see him play, he has exhibited exactly the sort of qualities that you would expect to see from someone training at a national level, and this has, in turn, inspired our younger players to follow his lead.