Chris Benbow on the progression of Lancashire's Academy stars
The second part of our summer review at Academy level with Lancashire's Head of Talent Pathway, Chris Benbow.
“The thing I’ve enjoyed most watching them is that they’ve looked like they belong in first-team cricket even though I’m sure they were shaking with nerves inside.
“It’s half the battle - that sense of belonging.”
Lancashire’s Head of Talent Pathway Chris Benbow has been speaking about the progression of a host of Academy stars at Emirates Old Trafford and the pride he feels is clear.
“It’s not just me being proud, it’s everyone involved,” he said.
“The journeys their parents, grandparents, guardians have been on, it’s as much about them. They’re the ones who’ve supported them from 11-years-old in most cases and done so much for them.
“The thing we also can’t underestimate is the impact of the coaches and the clubs before us - all the work they’ve put into the players.
“It’s their joy and excitement as well.
“It’s brilliant when you see these lads debut and their clubs are posting comments and congratulations and all this sort of stuff.”
Two players who started the summer on Lancashire’s Academy, batters Rocky Flintoff and Keshana Fonseka, have both made their first-team debuts in 2024.
Flintoff has played in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup and the Vitality County Championship and Fonseka in the latter.
In debuting in the 50-over clash with Kent at Blackpool in July, Flintoff became Lancashire’s youngest ever first-team debutant, aged 16 years and 113 days.
Other fledglings such as Tom Aspinwall, Charlie Barnard, George Bell, Josh Boyden, Matty Hurst and Harry Singh have all debuted since August 2022, including Barnard, Boyden and Singh this season. All players are now on professional contracts.
“There are a lot of names there who have all come through pathway cricket,” continued Benbow, whose Academy side won this season’s Under 18s County Championship North Division.
“You look at the ages of them and it’s so exciting.
“It’s been a tough year and hasn’t gone to plan at first-team level. It’s hard when you lose a lot of your big players to England and various other things around the world. But lads have come into first-team cricket and made an impact.
“And that bodes well for the next three or four years.”
Aspinwall and Hurst have gained wider recognition in terms of Hundred call-ups with the Manchester Originals this summer, and the latter will play in this winter’s Big Bash in Australia for the Perth Scorchers.
In terms of the two Academy debutants in Lancashire’s first team this summer, Flintoff posted a best of 88 in seven One-Day Cup matches, in the defeat against Middlesex at Emirates Old Trafford last month.
Fonseka debuted in that same game, opened the batting and scored 42. It was his best score in three appearances.
Flintoff has gone on to play in two County Championship matches.
Benbow continued: “It wasn’t really a surprise that Rocky stepped up and made an impact on the cricket he played - how he went in the England Under 19s. We’ve expected that and have seen it for several years.
“I’m super chuffed for him because it’s all he’s ever wanted to do.
“Every time you see him, he’s got a bat in his hand and is talking about cricket. He’s really deserved his opportunity.
“Similarly with Kesh, really.
“There would have been a lot of people who would have seen Kesh as a 12 or 13-year-old and said, ‘He’s going to be a professional cricketer’. He’s carried that work ethic all the way through his Academy and pathway journey.
“To jump into first-team cricket like he did, the first shot he hit was just trademark Kesh. That’s what everybody has seen over the last few years. Full ball, bit of length, bit of width and bang, straight through that cover region.
“What’s been most exciting is his intent to score and impact the game.”
And Benbow added: “That’s ultimately what pathway cricket is about. It’s about identifying those top players at a young age and supporting that development. We need to confirm who those potential elite athletes are as soon as we possibly can.
“They go through the various stages - Bunbury, Super4s, second-team - and jump into first-team cricket and make an impact.
“I go back four or five years, and that was (former director of cricket) Paul Allott’s message. He wanted players coming out of the pathway and being ready to impact the first team. I think we’ve seen that they’re definitely doing that.”
If you missed the first part of our Academy summer review, you can read it here.