jack bannister

our man down under
MicKLeburgh
Down Under
Playing a season in Australia is often
the watershed moment for an
English cricketer. Most you speak
to will say it ‘hardened’ them up
and gave them the opportunity to
reach their potential. It is also a defining time
for a player’s personal development. Grade
cricket is no place for the weak. Reputations
mean nothing to hard-nosed Aussies who have
been waiting all week to step on to the field.
A county contract is irrelevant when you walk
through that white picket gate and as soon as
an English accent is detected then it is every
man for himself!
Jaik Mickleburgh, is one who has taken this
path and immersed himself in the might of the
Sydney grade cricket competition: one that
is seen by many as the hardest domestic club
league in the world. Mickleburgh is in his
second season with the North Sydney Cricket
Club. This famous team has the picturesque
North Sydney Oval as its home ground and is
within throwing distance of the iconic Sydney
Harbour Bridge. Mickleburgh knows only
too well how stepping out for a new club in
Australia is tough for a youngster on his first
trip: "My first trip away was as a 17-yearold,"
he says. "I was very excited about the
opportunity but also apprehensive, it being
the first time I had spent any period of time
away from home. There was an element of
the unknown being picked up in Melbourne
by someone who I had never met in person.
After a while of being homesick, I realised
that it was the best decision I had ever made
to go away and play cricket," says
Mickleburgh. "The experience
definitely toughened me up and
has made me a stronger person
and player."
Mickleburgh follows a
long line that have plied their
trade with varying success
in the Sydney grade system.
Andrew Strauss, Nasser Hussain
and Nick Knight are but a few
examples of players that have
come out to improve their game with
Hussain joining the famous Petersham
Marrickville club in the Inner West of the
city. The future England captain found the
going tough, despite having already played
for England against the West Indies, but
came back a better player and was soon
scoring runs at International level. It has been
a familiar theme: a less than stellar season
down under followed up by a great year back
in County cricket. It is possible to bat only
twice in a month in grade cricket so you need
to make the most of it! Mickleburgh sums it
up well: "You hear about Australian sledging
and the first trip was a bit of an eye-opener,"
he says "There was never anything too bad
but it was something I hadn't experienced
much before as a 17-year-old. You just get
used to it and it helps toughen you up. You
have to focus on the ball and ignore all the
other stuff."
For a young man on his own for the first
time the trip will be invaluable in terms
"The
experience
definitely
toughened me
up and has made
me a stronger
person and
player"
of his personal
development.
Mickleburgh
acknowledges
how the six
months away
can speed
up your
growth as a
person tenfold:
"Australians
are traditionally
a tough, nononsense
people, and
young players, whether
shipped over from England or not, are
expected to get on with whatever comes their
way. Playing in another country poses many
challenges, but I think the most important is
being accepted by new team-mates as a good
bloke by getting your head down and working
hard through it all, even when you're not in
the first grade."
It is also the first time for many that they
have been away from team-mates that they
have known for years. Finding your feet in
an environment where nobody knows if you
can play, or what you are like as a person, can
be daunting. Those who have succeeded have
thrown themselves into every aspect of the
club and have done so without complaint. This
is what will make or break your time there.
For those that can take everything the
country has to throw at them and survive, it
will be a life changing experience.
thepca.co.uk / BtB issue 18 45