HEREFORDSHIRE are taking positive steps to ensure that more locals feature in their National Counties side.
Herefordshire have been only playing competitive cricket since 1992 when they joined the ranks of the Minor Counties after Durham became the 18th first-class county and a combination of geographical and cricketing factors beyond their control have limited their ability to bring through as many homegrown players as they would like.
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Herefordshire is the least populous of the 38 playing competitive county cricket – under 190,000 – and has a population density of 87 people per square kilometre.
There are just 26 cricket clubs in Herefordshire – a similar number to the town of Solihull – none of which play in an ECB Premier League and for almost 20 years Hereford has not had a recognised cricket club.
Despite those handicaps Herefordshire have produced one homegrown first-class player – Glamorgan seamer Jamie McIlroy in recent years and played an important in developing McIlroy’s Glamorgan team-mate Zain Ul Hassan and leg-spinner Alex Russell, who was released by Northamptonshire at the end of last season.
Herefordshire also gave England seamer Chris Woakes an early taste of senior county cricket before he made his Warwickshire debut and their close links with Worcestershire have also given similar exposure to likes of Jack Haynes, Rehaan Edavalath and Olly Cox.
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But Herefordshire are keen to grow their own and have now agreed to play three players who were either born in, who live in or play their club cricket in the county in their side in each of the three National Counties competitions this season, a figure that will increase to four next year.
In their first three National Counties Trophy group matches Herefordshire included Luke Powell, Luke Tulacz, Alex Hinkley and Harry Sockett with Sockett, who played his formative cricket for the Burghill, Tillington and Weobley club before joining Kidderminster in the Birmingham & District Premier League, making his competitive debut against Shropshire at Eastnor.
“We now have an agreement with NCCA that we must play three homegrown – born, bred, go to school, play for a club in or live in the county – players in every game we play,” said Richard Cox Herefordshire Cricket’s General Manager.
“That is now a stipulation. Previously it was a like to do but now it is a must-do and next year it will be four.
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“We have identified six players who fit that category, who are qualified and who are probably going to be good enough.
“Other than Alex (Hinkley), who plays his club cricket for Brockhampton, the others play in the Birmingham League but they are born and bred in Herefordshire but, in order to play this level of cricket, they have to expand themselves and play in a Premier League.
“There are a couple of others – Olly Rogoff and Ollie Hallion – who are also on the list and a lad, Henry Hawes, who has just got into Worcestershire’s Twos and who is now living in Colwall who qualifies.
“So, we have players who qualify. We just need to supplement it with other players so that we don’t lose the integrity and balance of the standards that we need to keep.
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“NCCA have been very good with us and they understand that a county with just 26 clubs isn’t going to be able to sustain itself without some support.
“The link with Worcestershire is key. They support our Emerging Players Programme and we support Worcestershire by blooding one or two of their players and giving them opportunities that they might not otherwise get.”
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