1,044 first-class players and 118 England internationals: David English is right to be bursting with pride

The Bunbury Festival returned in 2021 and continues to champion cricket's next stars

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Watching Archie Lenham burst onto the scene this year has given David English a familiar sense of pride. Pride, because the Bunbury supremo still takes a great deal of satisfaction in seeing the competition play its part – no matter how small – in the development of professional cricketers. Familiar, because the number of youngsters who have come through the under-15 tournament to play at first-class level is now in four figures – 1,044 to be exact. Among them, 118 have progressed to represent England.

Whether Lenham makes it that far, only time will tell. But the 17-year-old leg-spinner starred two years ago at the famous festival, a stage in the fledgling career of a teenager that continues to fascinate English.

“When we have the festival, it’s probably the first time that some of these lads have played against boys who are better than them,” he says. “They find out their level – they’ve all done well to get there, and then slowly as the games go by, some of them raise their game.

“Others get a little bit overwhelmed, but at the end of the day, I’m there to say: ‘Hey, don’t worry – we’ve all got noughts, tomorrow’s another day!’

“You have to be careful; because of their age, sometimes they can feel disappointed or that they’re not good enough. But it is the first time that they find out the level of what’s in front of them.”

English is an eccentric, whose ties to this initiative stretch back to 1987, when Ben Brocklehurst – a former Somerset captain who later became a publisher and owned The Cricketer – invited him to his home and asked if he would fund the festival. English managed the Bee Gees, had a BBC children’s television programme called You and Me, and wrote a series of books called the Bunbury Tails about cricket-playing rabbits. It was on the condition that the festival bore the name of his children’s novels that he took on Brocklehurst’s request: Ronnie Irani and John Crawley were the breakout stars of the inaugural edition at Harrow School. “It was a complete labour of love,” English reflects.

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Lavelle (top), Bethell (bottom left) and Lenham (bottom right) have all featured at the Bunbury Festival in recent years

“Life is a roundabout; you have to pick your ride. If you pick the ride that suits you, nothing will stop you. I think that’s where the passion comes from. A lot of people in the world don’t find their ride or their absolute passion, so they do other things that their heart isn’t exactly in. Sometimes, I can’t believe this has happened.”

Now in his fourth decade as its overseer and champion, he remains in touch with those who have come before: Bunbury graduate Steven Finn led the presentation party when an England Schools Cricket Association (ESCA) team faced MCC Schools at Lord’s earlier this summer. When Jos Buttler’s second child was born in September, they spoke on the phone. “We keep in touch,” he says enthusiastically. “They all come up to me: Ian Bell, Moeen Ali, Ashley Giles.

“In my heyday, I used to take them to Nandos and we used to have karaoke, jumping about on tables. Joe Root will say: ‘Dave, do you remember Nandos in Brighton?’ Very rarely do they talk about the cricket!”

The law of averages demands that some years are more fruitful than others; the gold standard came in 2006, when Buttler, Root, Ben Stokes and Jack Leach were beaten to the award for the best player by Zafar Ansari, who promptly informed English that he wished to become a concert pianist. Instead, he played Test cricket, before leaving the game in 2017, aged just 25. That in itself is an appropriate reminder of how much is still to come at Bunbury age. “Not all of them go on and play cricket, so Bunbury might be the highest point they ever get to,” he has learnt over the years. Relaying that truth remains the hardest part of the job. “I say to them: ‘Look, you’re the 56 best boys in England as you stand here as under-15s. You won’t all go on and make it, but a few of you might go and play for England. But you’ve all done well, and that’s great. We’re here to have some fun.’”

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Woodstock Cricket have partnered with the Bunbury Festival

Three years ago, the ECB took over the running of the festival from ESCA, maintaining the Bunbury name but dressing the occasion with an added sense of formality; that increased sense of professionalism – combined with the restrictions put in place by the pandemic – has changed things ever so slightly. “It has become very spot-on,” he says, offering official tracksuits and England logos as examples of the shift. No spectators were allowed in this year at Loughborough – a consequence of Covid rather than anything else. It meant that none of Andrew Flintoff, Darren Maddy, Glen Chapple, Michael Vaughan and Phil Mustard could watch their sons in Bunbury action, with English only catching a glimpse of the former internationals when they came to collect their budding sons.

“The one thing that has been constant is the standard of cricket – they really are tip-top,” he adds. “I can’t believe that these lads are under-15. Not all of them get better, but others develop later.

“Some are natural captains, others are leaders who chirp a lot. Some are quiet – like Joe Root and Jos Buttler. You see their characters developing with their cricket. Their cricket is excellent, but even they don’t know what’s in front of them.”

Partnerships are important to keeping the festival running, one such partner is Woodstock Cricket.

"Woodstock are extremely proud to sponsor the Bunbury Festival. Supporting young talent is a huge part of our brand DNA as we look to promote excellence throughout our entire business," Johnno Gordon, managing director of Woodstock, tells The Cricketer 

"Recognised as arguably the most awarded bat manufacturer over the last 10 years, we continually strive to improve our skills, much like the youngsters playing in The Bunbury Festival, making the partnership a no brainier. 

"Woodstock are committed to identifying and supporting young talent, with a new award being added to the prize giving ceremony at The Bunbury Festival from 2022 onwards. 

"Bringing youngsters into an award winning brand at a young age allows them to become part of “The Woodstock Family” early in their career, allowing them to see first hand how Woodstock are different to other brands in the market that would normally be the go to choices."

Wicketkeeper George Lavelle and Warwickshire allrounder Jacob Bethell are on English's current watch-list; Barbados-born Bethell impressed in the Royal London Cup and more recently for England Under-19s against West Indies, while Lavelle, 21, has featured 12 times so far for Lancashire’s first team.

The best English can recall witnessing have often been those who have made it to the very top. Stokes was “gruff and in your face”, with the pitch “his stage to perform on”; Root was “angelic – he timed the ball beautifully”; Buttler was “quite quiet but terrific”; Marcus Trescothick was “very outstanding”. Adil Rashid won every award up for grabs in his age-group, and English remembers him falling down the stairs of the pavilion – “I had to fish him out of the rhododendrons,” he laughs. No one hit the ball harder than David Sales, the only one of that group not to play for England, though he was a terrific county stalwart with Northamptonshire.

Since those days, the ECB’s involvement as organisers has added to the prestige of the Bunbury name. The festival featured in a film produced by Sky Sports during one lunch break of the Test series between England and India; when the cameras cut back to Sky’s pundits, Darren Gough made the point that his progression up the ladder had not been harmed by being overlooked as a 15-year-old. Ollie Pope is another more recent example. “But, of course, he developed later,” says English. “Not everybody is very good at 15, but it has that stamp of authority now with the ECB.” Indeed, national talent manager Alun Powell “said that Bunbury was without a doubt the first step on the pathway to winning a full England cap”.

The road to Bunbury begins at school, followed by county and regional trials, with the best selected for the weeklong tournament. “As the years have gone by, there have been more Asian lads playing in the festival,” adds English. “I think that’s risen over the years. I would say at the moment it is two-thirds public school, maybe one third state school. But it’s for everyone – if you’re good enough, you’re going to get into the Bunbury Festival by hook or by crook.”

This article was written in association with Woodstock Cricket. For more information about equipment or sponsorship, visit www.woodstockcricket.co.uk or apply here

 

Comments

Posted by Arthur Cooke on 02/10/2021 at 10:46

Brilliant article ! I was lucky enough to be alongside David English right from the beginning of the Bunbury journey for the first 12 years and enjoyed the whole experience. What David and the Bunbury Festival have done for English Cricket is immeasurable and it will continue as long as David and his enthusiasm are involved . I am now in my 86th Year and my own enthusiasm for the Bunburys and Cricket AND my friendship with David are as strong now as they ever were . Thank you so much for a great article

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