"The boys missed the game last summer, they’re really keen to get back": Mike Watkinson on school cricket's eagerly-awaited return

The ex-England and Lancashire allrounder looks back on the 2020 summer at Manchester Grammar School, with one eye on the future and some exciting young prospects

The purpose of cricket, and sport in general, at schools has broadened. Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley have recently proven that England’s independent schools are still producing players who can compete at international level but sport at The Manchester Grammar School has another very important ambition.

“Anybody who wants to play cricket can do so.” Explains MGS’ director of sport Mike Watkinson. The former England allrounder is very-well placed to lead the sporting curriculum at the Manchester school, considering his legendary status at Lancashire having been director of cricket when the county ended their 77-year wait for a County Championship title in 2011. 

In 2015, he ended his 33-year association with Lancashire and took up a new challenge in schools cricket. But rather than bring an exclusively-elite mindset with him, Watkinson is dedicated to ensuring as many pupils as possible benefit from all the good that sport brings.

“We are as inclusive as we possibly can be. That’s more important than success on the field. We want our teams to do well, we want to develop cricketers within the school but sport and cricket being available to anybody who wants to play is very important to us.”

There is a schoolwide passion for sport and cricket certainly enjoys a great deal of interest. Boys look up to Michael Atherton, Gary Yates, as well as  John, Mark and Peter Crawley, who are all alumni of MGS. During the lockdown in the spring of 2020 that wiped out the summer term, every single boy in the school was sent cricket drills that they could do at home.

“It’s not just the squad players who want to play cricket. There are boys who may not have been selected in squads but they want to get better and enjoy playing.” Watkinson added.

^{MGS played their annual fixture against MCC in September}

The MGS boys certainly made the most of the first lockdown, though.

“One boy put a bowling machine in the conservatory at his home and was firing out balls through the open door while he faced up on the grass. Considering how keen the boys are, you feel very sorry for them that they were deprived of a summer of school cricket.”

Watkinson spent over 30 years with Lancashire, as either a player, captain, coach and director of cricket. But after joining MGS in 2015 he was faced with a new challenge, one that extended beyond cricket.

“The High Master is keen to give as many sporting opportunities as possible. Diversity of sports is the starting point. When I started we had a handful of boys who were doing fencing with an external coach. Now we have 70/80 boys in a fencing club. These are generally boys who do not play other sports.

“We put our P.E. groups into sets, with set one being the best at sport going down to set four, sometimes five. A lot of the fencers who are representing the school in national competition are set four and five for P.E. That’s something really special to the school. Boys who would never have had the chance to represent the school in other sports are now getting a lot of enjoyment and boosted self-esteem from this.

“Playing sport has shown it is as good for mental wellbeing as it is for physical wellbeing. It’s part of our obligation as a school to give the boys some package of sporting activity. If you’re playing with the 1st team in a national cup, great. But if you’re just playing with some mates on the school fields in a non-squad session, that’s equally fine.”

^{Wicketkeeper-batsman George Bell (right) is one to watch for the future}

With more boys playing and enjoying sport, it is inevitable that MGS will possess some exciting cricketing prospects.

George Bell and Arav Shetty are two of the brightest talents, and are listed as such in The Cricketer’s most recent edition of the Schools Guide.

“George is a slight lad but he is a tough and aggressive sportsman who plays the game very hard. He’s a wicketkeeper batsman but batting is his main love.”

Bell has played at the Bunbury schools festival and is firmly on the Lancashire radar as one to watch. He scored an impressive century in the England Young Lions three-day fixture in September and was selected for the England U19 training squad in October. His talent has been known about for some time - he was named as Young Player of the Month in The Cricketer magazine during 2019.

Shetty is an equally exciting prospect.

“Arav has unbelievable talent. He’s a batting off-spinner but mainly a batsman. He’s got a hell of a lot of natural ability,” Watkinson continues.

“He’s getting a bit more strength to him now. He has relied on his technique but he’s hitting the ball harder now, however his technical ability is spot on.”

Both boys are involved with Lancashire, where Watkinson is also a Vice-President so he can keep a close eye on them and ensure the transition from school to county is seamless.

Despite a lost summer cricket is in a healthy state at MGS. In September, boys practiced within year-group bubbles and the annual MCC fixture was played.

“The boys really missed the game last summer, they’re really keen to get back. I’ve had contact with quite a number saying, ‘Sir when will we play again, we want to play’. I don’t think the interest has dropped in any way, just an extra hunger to get back out there.”