posted by John Winn
Like a good wine second team cricket scorecards are often more interesting when allowed to mature. Such is the case with the record of a Second XI Championship match played at Leamington CC, Leamington Spa in July 1992. My presence there was to some extent fortuitous for I was due in Solihull the next day for a meeting but with the end of term in the offing I had escaped the shackles of office in time to arrive at the pleasant ground by mid afternoon of the first day. Warwickshire were batting and their opponents were Yorkshire and when I arrived the home team were mounting a recovery from 73 for 6, first of all via a stand between Ashley Giles and Graeme Welch and after Giles was dismissed Welch received good support from Paul Booth and Ben Usher. The house of Usher did not fall and he ended on 30 not out with Warwickshire all out for 259. The wickets were shared by Harrogate born Ian Houseman (4), Adil Ditta (2) and Chris Silverwood (2), the last of whom went on to be better known.
In the Warwickshire side was Anderson Cummins, who for the next two season proved a popular overseas player with Durham and who played five tests for the West Indies although he cracked no pots in this match. Yorkshire replied with 170 for 7 declared, runs for Bradley Parker and Richard Kettleborough and when Warwickshire replied they added a further 154 before declaring. A target of 244 proved way beyond Yorkshire and they were all out for 130.
I have already mentioned Giles' contribution, 23, for he did not bat in the second innings and did not bowl in the entire match. He did play in all but one of Warwickshire's Second XI Matches that season taking 36 wickets and scoring almost 500 runs. He was to make his first class debut a year later at Canterbury having made the short journey from Maidstone when Alan Donald stood down at short notice. Wisden notes that (Giles) 'batted confidently in both innings and his bowling revealed potential.' Despite this promising beginning Giles was to play only one other first class match in 1993, at Durham in August when his only wicket was that of 'Foxy' Fowler as Durham registered their only home championship win of that season.
Other than Giles a second player to become an England hero was involved that sunny afternoon at Leamington namely Michael Vaughan, Giles' future England captain and great friend. Vaughan had a match he has probably forgotten for he scored 0 and 3 and bowled 8 first innings overs without success. He was however only seventeen and his end of term report in Wisden spoke of his 'patience and concentration when opening the batting.' Like Giles, Vaughan was to make his first class debut in 1993,versus Lancashire at Old Trafford when he made a battling 64 against a rampant Wasim Akram. This earned him another game, in the less febrile atmosphere of Grace Road where he scored 13 in each innings.
I did not come away from Leamington that July day saying I had seen two England players in the making and even if I had it would probably not have been Giles and Vaughan but 13 years later they took part in what is frequently described as the greatest Ashes' series ever. A fine wine indeed.
Arlington Avenue, Leamington Spa CC
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