Red Rose bid to grow their own
LANCS CHIEF TAKES SWIPE AT RIVALS FOR SIGNING TOO MUCH OUTSIDE TALENT
PAUL Allott says Lancashire will be scouring the north west to find the next generation of Red Rose stars.
And the Emirates Old Trafford director of cricket has hit out at rival counties who bring in a large number of players from outside their own academies.
The Red Rose have a long tradition of bringing through players through their system – and their 2011 title-winning side was largely made up of homegrown talent.
The club have always added players from outside to that – and that will continue says Allott.
But he is keen for the club to continue blooding their own.
“It is not a question of going out trying to sign people willy-nilly,” said Allott.
“Yes, we have tried to sign players, we have put in good offers for players and in one case we didn’t get the player because we were relegated.
“That is understandable, but it is short-sighted of the player because I think you can see what we have here is hugely worthwhile and it’s a great set-up. “But that’s up to the individual. “We signed Keaton Jennings, Graham Onions and Richard Gleeson in the last 12 months, so people can’t accuse us of not being ambitious in terms of signing talent.
“Nottinghamshire have signed four players, I don’t want us to sign four players, I want to produce four players.
“They need to take a long, hard look at themselves Nottinghamshire.
“If that’s their raison d’etre, then fine, I have no problem with them, but is that really what they want to do, sign four lads from other counties?
“I’m not going to do that, we will sign the odd one and we will always be on the look-out for quality talent and overseas players, but there is no point investing in the age group system and looking at the wealth of talent we have in the north west of England and saying we don’t need you, we will go and get somebody from elsewhere. There is no point.
“We have good relationships with Cumberland and Cheshire, we have just signed a Cheshire lad in George Balderson. We have some young Cumbrian lads in the Academy.”