TOM Lammonby has his fingers crossed he will get a second chance to skipper England under-19s when they tour India and Pakistan this winter.
Lammonby, who was named Devon’s young player of the year for the second year running at Friday night’s county awards evening in Exeter, is coming to the end of what he describes as a ‘turbulent’ year.
A hand injury sustained during practice ruled the 18-year-old left-hander out of Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand back in January.
Lammonby got over that setback, started scoring runs for Devon, Somerset 2nd XI and club side Exeter, then suffered a fractured foot.
Lammonby had just been named England under-19 captain when is broken foot was diagnosed, and injury that ruled him out of the summer home series against Sri Lanka.
England turned to Lammonby’s Somerset team-mate Tom Banton to lead the side, but he is now overage for under-19 cricket.
Will Lammonby get the nod a second time? He has no idea.
“There are two of us who have been around for a while, but they may go for one of the younger lads coming through with an eye on the next Word Cup and I fully get that,” said Lammonby.
Lammonby and the under-19 squad arrive in India for a training camp in Bangalore on December 1 before moving on to a programme of matches in Bangladesh.
It is a highlight to end a year that contained more than its fair share of disappointments for Lammonby.
“I am fed up saying disappointed – I prefer to say turbulent now to take account of the good and bad,” said Lammonby.
“I had got back playing again after my hand injury and things were going well for me.
“I had been named captain of England under-19s, had scored back-to-back hundreds for Devon and had just been awarded my first professional contract with Somerset.
“It was the best two weeks of my life, cricket-wise.
“I took time off from cricket two do my A-level exams at Exeter School (he achieved three Bs), then went into 14 days of continuous cricket. I suspect that is how I got the foot injury.”
The winter tour to the sub-continent is a chance for Lammonby and the squad to experience unfamiliar conditions.
“It is going to be a great learning curve playing spin on tracks in India and Bangladesh,” said Lammonby.
“I hope to come back with much more knowledge of how to play spin bowling.
‘Getting on the tour was a target for me all the time I was recovering from my foot injury.”
Lammonby wrote himself a unique place in Devon CCC history in 2018 by scoring three consecutive tons in Minor Counties cricket – two against Wales and a third against Shrophshire. That had never been done before by a Devon player.
Lammonby went through the Devon youth ranks before Somerset moved in for him and his ties with his home county remain strong.
Somerset has to come first now, but Devon won’t be forgotten.
“If I can come back and play for Devon then I will,” said Lammonby.
“I enjoy the ethos in the Devon side. We have loads of fun when we play. When I Iook at other Minor Counties we play against, they don’t seem to have the same approach.”
