News of the Seconds: SEC at Gosforth - Minto

 

23/07

Notts well placed going into the last day, with all results still possible.

Pravda:

Tom Giles snared three wickets before batting contributions across the board helped Nottinghamshire 2nd XI into a healthy position on Day Two against Durham.

Giles returned figures of 3/53 to lead the Green and Gold attack in Gosforth as the hosts, who resumed on 16-2 overnight, were bowled out for 239, a deficit of 91.

There were also hauls of two wickets apiece for Rob Lord, Matt Montgomery, and Ismail Mohammed, while Robbie Bowman hit 97 to top-score for Durham.

Batting again, Notts then drove home their advantage as Ben Martindale hit 38 to take the lead back towards 150 without breaking a sweat.

Sammy King and Dane Schadendorf then put on an unbroken 68 for the visitors’ fourth wicket, with both pleasingly scoring 34 not out.

By stumps, they had guided the Green and Golds to 147-3, giving them a lead of 238 to take into the fourth day.

Looking at the scorecard you'll see another Minto mentioned - E A  "Teddy", I presume. who gets a small mention in this article from the Cricketer from last December about James. EA Minto, if that's Edward Arthur Minto is aged just 14.

NICK HOWSON: The state-school-educated 17-year-old is the latest quick off the Durham production line. No wonder England are already paying attention

The notion of a 17-year-old, months removed from age-group cricket, being on the rungs underneath the senior England men's team should be laced with lunacy.

And while James Minto is only four first-class and List A matches into his senior career, the selection process around the national teams is such that he has already been catapulted into the conversation.

Selected for the Young Lions trip to South Africa which began on November 25, he travelled out six days early to work with the main Lions group, guaranteeing him "surreal" one-to-one time with Andrew Flintoff and exposure to Josh Hull and Josh Tongue, Test debutants from the last two summers.

"There are a lot of people who are quite difficult to speak to," he explained to The Cricketer, "but with Freddie, it was pretty easy to be fair. You can relate to him and he will ask you questions, ask how you're doing and it wasn't too hard.

"It was quite easy. But obviously a bit daunting: he's Freddie Flintoff."

Those sentiments correlate with many who have found Flintoff's mere presence during his coaching forays awe-inspiring. Minto, educated at the state-funded St Michael's Catholic Academy and a humble, quiet individual, spent the first part of his Lions adventure absorbing all the knowledge he could.

"I'm more of a listener when it comes to experienced coaches," he explained. "There are questions to be asked when you're training, little things you want to know but I'm more of a listener."

Of the 226 deliveries Minto has unleashed in professional cricket, there is a good chance you have seen at least one of them.

Having played in two One-Day Cup matches against Worcestershire and Northamptonshire, he expected to sign off the summer playing for England Under-19s in a tri-series against Scotland and Ireland.

After just one appearance he was recalled, with Durham suffering a selection crisis. Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts were with England for the Australia ODIs, Mark Wood's summer was over, Neil Wagner's overseas spell had been cut short, Paul Coughlin remained sidelined and Ben Raine was missing due to the imminent birth of his child.

Minto was thrown in at the proverbial deep end. Straight into the XI for the trip to threepeat-chasing Surrey at the Kia Oval, he was part of an attack comprising 19-year-old Daniel Hogg and West Indian Chemar Holder, who had played five Championship games between them. It promised to be a memorable occasion, as the club's youngest first-class cricketer, regardless of the outcome.

With the sun dipping on a first day which had already seen the visitors skittled for 262, the left-armer unleashed a bouncer in the penultimate over, clocked at 87mph, which squared up and stunned the normally unflappable Rory Burns. "Nasty," commentator Martin Emmerson rasped.

The delivery pinged around the cricket fraternity and has built up more than a million views across various platforms, including TikTok. You might sniff at such a metric, but when you consider Shoaib Bashir caught the eye of Ben Stokes via a video of him bowling to Sir Alastair Cook, there is no disputing that these types of moments assist an attribute-led selection strategy.

"It is absolutely amazing," he added. "It is nice to show what you can do particularly against players of that level. It was great for me. I felt in good rhythm that day, the ball was swinging so it felt good.

"My friends and family were over the moon: 'You beat Rory Burns for pace' and all that stuff. When (head coach Ryan Campbell, absent at the Kia Oval) was back he congratulated me and said well done.

"It feels great. There is a long way to go and a lot of hard work still to come. I feel like I'm only halfway there from being the complete bowler. There is still a long way to go to reach the level I think I can."

Scalps of Conor McKerr and Tom Lawes on day two saw Minto become the second-youngest bowler since World War Two to take a first-class wicket - not that you'd have known from his reaction.

"When you're playing against people who you grew up watching you've got to show them a bit of respect," added Minto, whose two 50-over wickets were Ethan Brookes and Rehaan Edavalath. "You can't give them a big send-off. I'm not going to rub it in people's faces or anything like that, I just go about my business and work hard. I like to be quiet."

Those at Norton CC will tell you to keep an eye out for hit batting, too, having averaged 50 for the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League side last season largely as a left-handed opener.

Back problems across 2022 and 2023 saw the number of overs he was able to bowl limited, so it is no surprise to hear about the area of his game - alongside his yorkers, which he hopes Chris Jordan can assist with on the Lions trip - that needs the most work.

"The thing I want to improve on in the winter is just strengthening my action a bit and not trying to muscle the ball down," he said. "Trying to stay strong at the crease, and learn to swing the ball back. Obviously, I've got the one that goes away."

When speaking to the newest crop of fast bowlers, it is immediately striking how England's selection approach has liberated them. Suddenly they don't need to stew and sweat over bowling figures, averages and strike rates, and instead dedicate themselves to their skills.

"It is very exciting and I know I've got a good chance," said the Stockton-on-Tees native, who models himself on Trent Boult. "I've got to stay focused on the process and do what I can do to improve. It is exciting. Ever since I was a kid I've wanted to be a fast bowler playing for England in an Ashes series or the World Cup or whatever it was. That is all I've ever wanted really."

For a youngster born just five months prior to the first edition of the Indian Premier League, it is reassuring to hear about those goals.

"I've always loved red-ball cricket," he said. "Test match cricket is the definition of cricket. It takes so much to be a great Test cricketer. Things like the IPL and franchise cricket are great as well but Test match cricket is the dream."

A goalkeeper in the Hartlepool football academy until age 11, some of Minto's focus can be attributed to his affection for boxing. A semi-regular at the Natural Progression Boxing Academy during the winter, he uses the training to keep himself fit ahead of each summer, working the pads and participating in the occasional spar.

"Boxing takes a lot of commitment and courage. I took it up when I was about 12. It was more of a winter thing to keep me fit for the summer and then in the season, I was ready to go.

"I've been down to the gym about three times since the cricket season finished. I used to spar last year but I haven't done it in a while. I really enjoy it. I've been down a fair few times. It is good to see some of the lads and stay fit."

The speed of Minto's rise is such that brother Teddy - a promising left-arm spinner in his own right - had to collect his Tees Valley Cricket Awards Emerging Player of the Year trophy, eligible for those 18 and below, on his behalf due to his Lions commitments.

Upon returning home from nearly four weeks in South Africa (a trip to Australia with the Lions may yet follow), Minto's aims for 2025 are simple. There are no grand ambitions of playing an England Test, emulating Steve Harmison or Mark Wood or Brydon Carse. And nor should there be.

Developing his game, earning a professional contract with Durham, and playing more one-day and Championship cricket would still represent progress, even if he remains largely at home and at Chester-le-Street.

After all, he only turned 17 on November 26 - celebrating with the touring party with a filet steak and a slice of cheesecake - made his second XI debut in June and was playing age-group cricket for Durham as recently as August. We can get ahead of ourselves another day.

21/07

Sam Seecharan 68 ball century today at Gosforth

In the side playing against Durham 2s are:

Olly Stone, Dane Schadendorf and Rob Lord

which in a way gives a few pointers towards who might be playing for the first eleven this week, in the absence of news on that front.

03/07

An unbeaten 58 from Dane Schadendorf helped Notts' Second XI to a six-wicket success over Leicestershire at the John Fretwell Centre, Sookholme.

The wicketkeeper hit successive sixes in the 12th over to seal victory, with his runs coming from just 26 deliveries.

Notts overhauled their target of 139 with more than eight overs to spare, with Sam Seecharan blazing 49 from just 13 balls at the top of the order and striking 11 boundaries in a blistering 15-minute cameo.

Earlier, there were three wickets for James Hayes, and two apiece for Conor McKerr and Ismail Mohammed, as the Foxes made 138/9 from their 20 overs.

View a full scorecard, stats and highlights here...

24/06

Thrashed by Middlesex

On the last day or so, Brett Hutton made a tentative return from his latest injury worries.

Scored a golden duck

Bowled 5-2-28-1 in the Middlesex second innings as the visitors to Lady Bay chased down their target of 107, completing with days to spare.

18/06

Dav 2 Pravda

Tom Giles and Daanyaal Mahmood claimed two wickets apiece as Nottinghamshire 2nd XI fought back with the ball on Day Two against Kent at Notts Sports Ground.

Having resumed on 33-1, the hosts were dismissed for 212 despite Sam Seecharan’s counter-attacking 90, but Giles and Mahmood led a fightback to reduce Kent to 170-8 at stumps.

That gave the visitors an overall lead of 270, with Giles returning figures of 2/27 and Mahmood claiming 2/32.

Earlier, Seecharan’s innings had come in just 108 balls, containing 13 fours and four sixes, and he found some support from Ben Martindale’s similarly swift 55.

Martindale faced 61 balls, hitting ten fours, and shared in a partnership worth 55 for the fourth wicket with Seecharan.

Three wickets apiece for veteran Matt Quinn and 17-year-old Oliver Butterfill meant the visitors carried a first-innings lead forward, only for Giles and Mahmood to hit back.

Conor McKerr, James Hayes, captain Haseeb Hameed, and Akand Gangotra also all picked up a scalp apiece as the wider Green and Gold attack backed up the efforts of Giles and Mahmood.

17/06

Day 1 report from Pravda

Ben Martindale took three wickets as Nottinghamshire’s Second XI dismissed their Kent counterparts for 312 on day one at Lady Bay.

The right-armer’s medium pace saw off Kent centurion Ben Compton, with Martindale finding a little extra lift to induce the edge.

Martindale would go on to remove Ben Burgess (50) and Oliver Morgan (9), while there were two wickets apiece for Tom Giles and Daanyaal Mahmood, alongside scalps for James Hayes, Conor McKerr and captain Haseeb Hameed.

Notts lost Hameed early in their reply, but Ben Slater and nightwatchman Hayes saw the hosts to 33/1 at stumps.

Just the one glaring omission from Pravda's report - Brett Hutton 0.2-0-6-0

Haseeb Hameed has now bowled eleven overs in the Kent second innings on day 2

16/06

The SEC starts today with a game at Lady Bay against Kent

05/06

SET20 Players

George Lavelle has played for both Notts and Derbyshire and Joe Pocklington for both Notts and Yorkshire - those are just two players that I've noticed.

29/05

Former Lancashire George Lavelle played for Notts 2s yesterday, today he's playing for Debyshire 2s in the same SET20 competition and group.

26/05

Notts 2s lost to SACA this afternoon at Lady Bay by 2 wickets with 11 balls unused

Bowling wise no one put their hand up with a pick me for Friday display

Rob Lord in order 18, probably when the final result was inevitable, 2/4 but his first over had gone for 29.

Daniel Sams in over 17, 0/14, hopefully just a shedding of cobwebs outing.

scorecard

15/05

Dillon Pennington bowled eight overs today at Sale CC's ground, but he hasn't made the squad for Durham....

... you can draw the same conclusions as I can.

14/05

Next-up a 2 day friendly against Lancashire at Sale CC, Rookwood

No Dillon listed but there was Conor McKerr's name of the batting card, until ....

Matt Montgomery retired not out on 100 exactly

Dane Schadendorf made 73 scorecard

Notts ended the day on 505/9

Sam Seecharan 53*(36)

Sam King 64*(26)

both having a second dibs in the innings.

13/05

Lancashire posted 216 all out

Notts won by 5 wickets

Martindale 105

Moores 71*

Sams 1

Zain Latif, from Notts Prem to Notts 2s Wollaton v Hucknall

No Pennington but an appearance of Daniel Sams and also Tom Moores.

scorecard

11/05

A friendly at Old Trafford is next on the itinery in a 50 over game

Dillon Pennington is suggested might be having a fitness assessment with this game.

06/05

Derbyshire at Lady Bay

George "Spirit" Lavelle, released by Lancashire at the end of 2024, is having a go behind the stumps for the visitors.

Day 2 Pravda:

Ben Martindale and Francis Moore collected five wickets between them as an engrossing Second XI friendly between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire reached its halfway point at Notts Sports Club.

Having resumed on 12 without loss, trailing the hosts’ first-innings 326 by 314, the visitors went on to be dismissed for 308.

Martindale recorded figures of 3/25 to add to his day one 97 with the bat, while Moore and Freddie McCann also took two wickets apiece.

Mitchell Wagstaff hit 74 and Ben Aitchison made 54 off 44 down the order to rescue Derbyshire from 234-7, moving their first-innings score to within just 16 of the hosts’ total.

Aiming to increase that gap as Notts returned to the middle, Martindale again impressed with a fluent unbeaten 32, while McCann also scored freely for his 34 not out.

Together, they added an unbroken 67 for the second wicket, taking the hosts to 77-1 and an overnight lead of 95.

Day 1 Pravda:

Ben Martindale top-scored with 97 as Nottinghamshire 2nd XI posted 326 on the first day of a friendly with Derbyshire at Notts Sports Club.

Martindale’s innings came in 126 balls and contained 14 fours and a six, while his opening partner Sam Seecharan made 40 as part of an 83-run first-wicket stand.

Freddie McCann added 34, also sharing in a hefty partnership with Martindale worth 102, before Rob Lord finished the innings with a flourish by hitting an unbeaten 27 off 35 deliveries.

Matt Stewart was the pick of the bowlers for Derbyshire, returning 4/19, before it fell to the visitors’ opening pair Mitchell Wagstaff and William Tarrant to guide them to 12-0 at stumps.

24/04

Day 4: Durham Second XI 260 & 389 beat Nottinghamshire Second XI 410/9dec & 187

Durham Second XI secured victory by 52 runs over Nottinghamshire Second XI on day four at Lady Bay, thanks to a Callum Parkinson five-wicket haul after Faizan Ghumman’s century on day three.

Mitchell Killeen fell early on day four, bowled by Robert Lord for 86. Robbie Bowman made 43 and Stanley McAlindon scored 31 as Durham were bowled out for 389 before lunch was taken.

This left the hosts requiring 240 runs to win with 62 overs remaining in the day’s play.

Alan Walker’s side made a fast start as Zac Mawdesley removed Sam Seecharan on the second ball of the innings before doubling his tally in the seventh over with Nottinghamshire on 24.

Durham continued to pick up wickets regularly as Callum Parkinson trapped Matt Montgomery on the front foot before Luke Symington had Sam King caught behind, reducing Nottinghamshire to 70 for four.

After the hosts put on 19 for the fifth wicket Robbie Bowman stumped Liam Patterson-White as Symington claimed his second.

After a stand worth 39, Jim Twiddy and Parkinson struck twice in quick succession with Nottinghamshire seven wickets down and still 110 runs from their target.

Parkinson then bowled a double wicket maiden as Durham closed in on victory as the Green and Golds found themselves 141 for nine.

Parkinson then wrapped up the victory after a 46-run partnership, having Francis Moore caught and bowled for 22.

Only 13 wickets in the match for Liam Patterson-White to add to his 165 in the first innings.

. 

 card

23/04

Day 3 was another 10.30.

Durham collapsed in theie first innings 260 all out after being 145/2

LPW 7/54 Capt Monty enforced the follow-on.

Rob Lord made an appearance, but was wicketless in the first innings.

Nine wickets in the day for Liam Patterson-White

Durham reports:

Day 3: Nottinghamshire Second XI 410/9dec v Durham Second XI 260ao & 253/3

Faizan Ghumman scores century for Durham Second XI, following up his first innings score of 69 as Durham lead Nottinghamshire Second XI by 103 at the close of day three at Lady Bay.

Beginning the day 33 for one, Durham Second XI made a positive start with both Ghumman and Scott Borthwick scoring half-centuries in a 127-run partnership.

Ghumman top scored and Borthwick made 56 before wickets began to fall quickly as Liam Patterson-White claimed four in quick succession with Luke Symington, Mitchell Killeen and George Drissell all falling.

Robbie Bowman made an unbeaten 54 but saw wickets fall regularly at the other end as Patterson-White claimed seven wickets with Durham being bowled out for 260 and being forced to follow on, traling by 150 runs.

Callum Parkinson fell early in Durham’s second innings before Drissell joined Ghumman at the crease. Drissell made 42 from 35 before being bowled by Patterson-White with Durham 74 for two.

Ghumman went on to score 102 in a stand of 179 with Killeen, who remained unbeaten on 86 at the close of day two.

 

Day 2: Nottinghamshire Second XI 410/9dec v Durham Second XI 33/1

Brett Hutchinson takes four wickets for Durham Second XI in a batting dominated day two at Lady Bay.

Durham Second XI captain Callum Parkinson won the toss and chose to bowl first before persistent rainfall ruled out any play on day one in Nottinghamshire.

Durham Seconds got off to a fast start on day two, taking two wickets in the opening five overs.

Brett Hutchinson struck with his first ball of the day, removing Sam Seecharan in the second over before Mitchell Killeen had Benjamin Martindale caught behind for 18.

Luke Robinson put a third wicket stand of 40 to an end, having Matt Montgomery caught behind on 23 to reduce Nottinghamshire to 62 for three.

Sam King and Liam Patterson-White then took control for the hosts, sharing a stand of 227 until the former was run out, four short of his century.

Patterson-White had already reached three figures, doing so in 93 balls with 10 fours and five maximums. He added 45 alongside Travis Holland before being bowled by George Drissell for a run-a-ball 165 with the hosts falling 332 for five.

Hutchinson took his second scalp ending Holland’s stay at the crease on 29, before bowling two Nottinghamshire batters in back-to-back deliveries in his following over to leave the hosts 389 for eight.

Killeen claimed his second scalp in the following over before the Green and Golds added 19 runs, declaring with 410 runs on the board.

Parkinson was the only Durham wicket to fall in 13 overs as Faizan Ghumman and Scott Borthwick saw out the remainder of the day with Durham closing 33 for one.

22/04

Day 1 was washed-out at Lady Bay yesterday, so today day 2 started at 10.30.

Makes more sense than tacking time on at the the end, especially in April.

What do you reckon?

Team-wise, it looks as though the seam bowling options are threadbare:

Giles, Moore and Gangotra, Martindale will be bowling some overs, I'd suspect.

scorecard LPW 165 King 96 no Schadendorf playing as yet

17/04

Notts 2s lost their game at Southampton, Martindale 114, Seecharan 133, King 67

in their second innings declaring at 452/8 settng Hampshire 2s a galloping target which chased down 202/6 in 31 overs (Notts last two batters were not availble to bat)

Already without McKerr, unavailable to the skipper were Hayes and Lord as well, leaving just four bowlers including Montgomery himself.

LPW 3/97 Monty 2/60 did the bulk of the bowling.

16/04

Hampshire piled on the agony with Notts a bowler short (McKerr), scoring 642 in their first innings, LPW 5/161 Monty 3/71

At the close of Day 3 Notts in th 2nd innings were 155/0 Ben Martindale 74* and Sam Seecharan 73*

14/04

Liam Patterson-White century today at Southampton where the 2s are playing Hampshire 2s, 90 also for Conor McKerr

10/04

Day 3

Notts won by 7 wickets

Kent 2nd innings 178 Hayes 4/45 LPW 4/52

Notts 2nd innings 106/3 Sam Seecharan 41

card

09/04

Day 2 at the Polo Farm was a mixed day for the 2s as they failed to capitalise on the excellent platform set on day one but still posted a score with a lead of 73 and then bowled themselves into a very strong position , going into what will be the final day with the hosts 7 wickets down.

Notts 1st innings 327

Kent 2nd innings 150/7 LPW 3/50 Hayes 2/30

card

08/04 Friendly v Kent 2s (a)

A productive day for the Seconds in their friendly against Kent at the Polo Farm Ground.

Kent 1st innings 254

wickets for Lord (3), LPW (3), Hayes (2), Moore (2)

Notts 1st innings 131/1 at the close

Martindale 63

Seecharan 51*

Full card