Laithwaites Cricket

England internationals Jonny Bairstow, Emma Lamb and Charlie Dean discuss how they started in the sport, the importance of the grassroots game to their success and why it is so important for the future. By Paul Newman

Going down to the club with my dad [David] when he was playing for Undercliffe and East Bierley in the Bradford League. I would go along to all the grounds and they used to get some amazing crowds watching them. There would be some amazing players, too, because some of the best in the world played in the leagues. When anyone made a 50, someone would gather up all the 10ps and 20ps and they were put behind the bar to buy drinks to celebrate the landmark.

Every England cricketer has to start somewhere and, almost without exception, every England player is the product of one of the thousands of clubs and grassroots cricketing communities still thriving throughout the length and breadth of the country. We joined three of them, 2015 Ashes and 2019 World Cup winner Jonny Bairstow, batting all-rounder with the hugely successful England women’s team, Emma Lamb, and her off-spinning all-rounder team-mate Charlie Dean to hear their grassroots stories. Jonny and Emma were giving back to grassroots by running a net session at Audley Cricket Club in North Staffordshire, the epitome of a modern, successful cricket club – and the perfect stage to discuss Laithwaites Wine and ECB’s Reward4Clubs campaign – while Charlie joined us at Lord’s, the home of cricket, where she is playing for London Spirit. Laithwaites launched the Rewards4Clubs initiative earlier this year to support all local cricket clubs in England and Wales. Any club can visit laithwaites.co.uk/cricket to receive a unique code that members and supporters can use when they order from Laithwaites Wine. The code entitles users to 20 per cent off Laithwaites wines, and each bottle ordered by a club member earns that club ‘runs’. At the end of the season the club can turn those runs into wine from Laithwaites or vouchers for Gray-Nicolls cricket equipment. Participating clubs are also entered into monthly draws for exclusive prizes. It all feeds into a great campaign for the grassroots game and is why we are here, asking the likes of Jonny, Emma and Charlie about their memories of their early cricketing days.

What is your earliest cricketing memory?

Jonny Bairstow

I got into the game through my brother [Sussex cricketer Danny Lamb] and the first thing I really remember is scoring a hundred for Lancashire Under 13s. That was when I knew I would not only enjoy it but might be quite good at it too. I also remember playing here at Audley when I was young and you could tell it was a good club straight away.

Emma Lamb

Being on the side of the pitch while my dad, Steve, was playing. He played Minor Counties for Staffordshire, but my first memory came after we relocated to Hampshire and he was at Havant. Mum would keep me entertained by throwing balls at me on the corner of the outfield and I would watch Dad and try to get involved as well.

Charlie Dean

Emma Lamb

Jonny Bairstow

Grassroots Club: Great Ouseburn, Dunnington Speciality: Wicket-keeper, Batsman England Tests: 100 England Test runs: 6042 England Test catches /stumpings: 242/14

What was your first cricket club EL: Chorley in Lancashire. There was a women’s team there, which was quite rare for my area, but I also played a lot of boys’ cricket with my brother. The women’s game was nothing like as strong as it is now so you had to play with the boys to keep yourself in the loop. You always had to prove a point when you played with boys but it stood you in good stead. It made me more strong-willed as a character. CD: I was born in Burton upon Trent but we moved when I was five so I don’t have too many memories of there. My first club was following Dad and my sister, Lauren, to Havant where I played in the Under 9s for the boys’ side. The first time I thought ‘I’m really enjoying this’ was when I played in a Kwik Cricket tournament and I was given a certificate for beating the boys in some of the challenges. It went from there to playing hard-ball games. JB: Great Ouseburn over towards Boroughbridge. I would go down there from when I was six years old and I have some great memories from those early times. I played other sports as I got older but at that stage it was just enjoying the local cricket club with my schoolmates. Then I moved to Dunnington, where I played most of my club cricket.

What was the social side of club cricket like, even when you were young? JB: It’s the heart and soul of any village, any community. I just remember the teas being made by different parents, everyone pulling together. Then all those parents, and others who just came along to be involved, having a glass of wine in the bar. The kids would be playing on the outfield with the grown-ups in the pavilion or clubhouse. Nothing like it. CD: We’d be at the club every weekend, playing and watching, and I remember parents and everyone would stick around afterwards in the clubhouse for a diet coke or a beer and a glass of wine – not the children, obviously – and it was a massive part of growing up. One of my regrets is that I never played adult cricket for Havant. My sister has. I moved straight into representative cricket from age group cricket. Maybe one day I can put that right. EL: If I hadn’t grown up in a club cricket environment I wouldn’t have the social skills I have now. It helped me from the start and most of my friends have been made through the game. It helps your development as a person, as well as a player, but one thing I never thought about in those days was becoming a professional. It just wasn’t on the cards. I wanted to be a teacher at first because I just didn’t think it was possible to make cricket your living as a woman. I think I was about 15 when I saw Kate Cross at Lancashire get a contract and I thought: ‘Oh my God. It really can happen’.

Who was your first coach? Or the one in the early days who is most memorable to you? EL: It was probably my dad. He was always my biggest supporter and my biggest critic. We used to train on the drive and he would always bowl at me and then let me bowl at him. JB: There were so many. Collis King, the West Indian all-rounder, played at Dunnington when I was very young and he was a big influence. When I went into the Yorkshire Academy Ian Dews had a huge impact on me and my game. I’ve been fortunate to stay in touch with him throughout my career. Sadly he’s no longer with us, but my cricket master at school, Mr David Kirby, was coach at St Peter’s in York for 44 years. CD: My first coach was Ron Hodgson at Havant and he coached me at girls’ age groups and the women’s team at Hampshire too. I would see his face around at both club and county games, which helped me feel at home.

Were you successful straight away?Personally and with the team? CD: I think I settled in to it so well because the boys accepted I was just as good as them and I enjoyed it just as much as they did. My sister and I were the only girls there, but we would rock up and do just as well as the boys, and it was a really positive experience for me. At that stage I didn’t even know women’s cricket existed. It was only when my club put me forward for district trials that I realised there was a girls’ team. I thought I was one of the only ones… JB: We certainly had some good teams in those early days and it was great fun being a part of them. It was when I moved to Dunnington that a group of us all started moving up together in representative cricket, and there were some very gifted players who did a bit in the Yorkshire schools set-up. We had some great times in the Under 11s and all the way through to the 17s and onwards. Most of them are still doing well in league cricket now, and those guys who have progressed through the age groups into the senior teams – and maybe are the captains of their clubs now – are what the game is all about. They are the heartbeats of their clubs, along with so many others, such as the groundsmen and people who do the teas and serve drinks in the bars, who keep everything ticking. Cricket couldn’t do without them. EL: I started doing pretty well playing with my brother, so that gave me a taste of what it would be like, and I concentrated more on the women’s game when I started being recognised for Lancashire. I remember always enjoying it, and the better you did and the more you won, the more enjoyable it became.

Were there other players in your early teams you knew were going to make it? EL: I played with Sophie Ecclestone when I was young and she stood out from the start. She played for Cheshire at first and when Lancashire played them, we always said: ‘We’ve got to concentrate on Soph’, and it’s the same now when anyone plays against her. JB: The Yorkshire Academy side played in the leagues so the majority of the guys went on to play first-class cricket. Then they would be posted out to play for, say, Barnsley or Castleford, and you would find yourself up against someone who might be on the staff. CD: When I moved up in age groups I realised there were other girls who played – it almost made me jealous because I thought me and my sister were the only ones – and Emily Windsor was there. She played for Hampshire and I idolised her and now we’re best friends and housemates. She’s had a really successful career with the Southern Vipers.

What is the one thing you were taught that has never gone away? JB: It’s a simple bit of advice, but it’s as relevant in a Test match as it is when playing at grassroots level. Just watch the ball. CD: The one thing I most remember from Ron was something he taught me in the field. He would tell me to pick the ball up on my back foot, rather than do a sort of little crow hop before picking it up, and that sticks out for me even now. EL: Just to trust in your game. That all the things you have practised will all happen in the game – so be ready for them. And to work hard because it will pay off.

Were there any characters who stood out at your clubs? CD: There was a guy called Jake Gilbert at our club who bowled some filthy leg-spin and gave the ball a big tonk. He was one of those characters you want to be friends with, and once you get one friend, you’re in. He doesn’t play now, which is a shame. Then there was Andy Gorvin, who plays for Glamorgan. He played at Havant and when I hear his name in cricket I will say: ‘I know that guy’. Even though I don’t actually know him that well… EL: My brother was a bit of a character at our club! And Sophie has always been a big character wherever she has played. She wasn’t part of my club when we were growing up but she always stood out when I played with and against her. JB: So many. People who were there every week. The scorer always tends to be a character who’s been around the club for years. There were a couple of ladies at Dunnington who would watch every game religiously, whether it was the kids or the first team, and if it was a bit chilly they would watch from the car. Every club has them. That’s what it’s about. You build friendships and relationships with all those people and if I went back now there would be people saying: ‘What about that time with you in the Under 13s...’. My family still live near Dunnington so I still see where it all started all the time. The club’s still going strong.

What’s your wish for grassroots cricket today? JB: Grassroots is where it all comes from. Good players don’t just appear out of thin air. Everyone has a club where they started and the importance of it is huge. There are opportunities for everyone who wants to play cricket at grassroots level and my wish would be for clubs like mine and this one at Audley to keep on doing what they do and remain that hub for all things good in the community. CD: There’s a full girls’ and women’s section at Havant now and I was able to go back there for a coaching session, which was quite something. Things have come a long way in girls’ and women’s cricket, but we just need to keep pushing with investment. For instance, when I started there were no dressing rooms for girls and I would change in the smallest toilet. We need to keep pushing on facilities and infrastructure. Little things that make everyone welcome. EL: The next big thing the women’s game has to do is get more players in to boost the numbers at regional and then national level, and that’s where grassroots cricket comes in. We need to make our game more competitive through grassroots and to keep players interested as they get older. The game has come so far, but the next step, and my wish, is for every club to have a girls’ and women’s team.

at grassroots level: just watch the ball

Jonny Bairstow

Sophie Ecclestone has always

Emma Lamb

When I started there were no dressing

Charlie Dean

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Grassroots

Grassroots Club: Chorley Speciality: Batter/off-spin bowler ODI: 11 ODI: 363 ODI top score: 102

Charlie Dean

Grassroots Club: Havant Speciality: Batter/off-spin bowler ODI: 34 ODI: 61 ODI best bowling: 5/31

Charlie Dean enjoys taking an Australian wicket

Emma Lamb in action for England with Tammy Beaumont against Australia in the Ashes at Trent Bridge in 2023

Jonny Bairstow celebrates another England wicket in his glittering international career

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been a big character wherever she

has played. She always stood out

The best bit of advice I ever got is as

relevant in Test match as it is when playing

the smallest toilet. We need to keep

pushing on facilities and infrastructure

rooms for girls and I would change in

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heartbeat of

the game

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Watch Emma Lamb and Jonny Bairstow take a net session at Audley CC as part of Laithwaites Wine's Rewards4Clubs initiative