Victory has characterised the past few weeks for our current and ex-cricket students as two Berkhamstedians, Teddy Fleming and George Harvey, played in the Minor County NCCA Championship helping Buckinghamshire’s Full Men’s Minor County Team take home the trophy.
Despite leaving our school last year, Old Berkhamstedian, Teddy Fleming, displayed the determination and team-spiritedness of a great Berkhamstedian after he helped the Buck’s Full Men’s Minor County Team secure their victory in the final. Teddy, who has played cricket from the young age of eight, has a lifelong passion for the sport. “I’ve played cricket for as long as I can remember. While I began playing cricket before I joined the school, I continued to develop my skills throughout my time at Berkhamsted and I am continuing to play the sport now that I have left” Teddy says.
Being selected to play for the Minor County Team was a key turning point in Teddy’s cricket career, and not to mention an extraordinary achievement since it’s rare for teens as young as Teddy to be selected to play regionally.
Playing alongside professional cricket players in this team has allowed Teddy to hone his skills alongside some of the best cricket players in the area. “Playing for the Full Men’s Minor County Team has been a great learning experience; it has given me the opportunity to play alongside some fantastic professionals who I have learned a lot from. The atmosphere after we won the final was amazing” Teddy recalls.
But his success in the Minor County Championship Final is just the beginning of Teddy’s success in the cricket world as the young player takes off to Australia later this year to train at a cricket academy for a month. On taking his training abroad, Teddy says “I’m really excited to see where this next stage will take me!”
Playing alongside Teddy was our current Sixth Former, George Harvey, who has proved himself as another young player to watch after scoring 117 for Bucks under 18 team to help them win their National Competition last month. Shortly after this, George was selected to play for Buck’s Minor County Team.
George’s winning streak didn’t stop there though, after demonstrating his incredible talent, George was selected to play in the Minor County Championship final last week where he scored 61 to help Bucks win their championship final!
Like Teddy, George’s love for cricket began early in his life. “I started playing cricket when I was three-years old then I played through school and clubs my whole life and I continued playing when I joined Berkhamsted in Year 12.”
Despite his remarkable achievements, George remains humble about his success. “I never expected to be playing for a team like the Minor County Team so early in my cricket career, but it’s been a great experience and there’s a few pros in the team who I have really learned from.”
What’s next for George’s cricket career? “It is one of my goals to go professional eventually, but for right now playing for the minor county team is great so I can’t wait to keep doing that.”
While it is almost unheard of for those as young as Teddy and George to be playing in the Full County Side, this only speaks to the young men’s grit, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for these two outstanding players.