Haseeb’s rise has given us all inspiration

Haseeb Hameed may be the ‘Wall of Bolton’ but Lancashire possess a little master from Ormskirk showing every sign of proving to be the very best of the next generation.

Bunbury Festival is the reserve of only the finest 15year-olds – and George Lavelle was run off his feet at last year’s awards night, as best wicket-keeper, best allrounder – he scored most runs – and most valuable player.

It may not mean Lavelle is a banker for superstardom but 70 players who have starred since the tournament’s inception 30 years ago have gone on to play for England.

And David English, eccentric Bunbury founder, claims Lavelle belongs in the best XI to have graced its lawns – alongside such as Alastair Cook and Joe Root and favoured over current England keepers Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler.

If it all seems overblown for a 16-year-old, there is little danger of him being swept away with the hype.

“The Bunbury Festival was a big stepping stone, I did quite well,” says an unassuming Lavelle. “That was last year and though I always wanted to be a cricketer before that, it boosted my confidence a lot.

“It was good to perform in front of the national coaches and I got selected for the North v South game.

“I didn’t actually get into the first year at Lancashire, I only joined when I got in the U12s under Dave Leighton. It was really disappointing but it made me more determined.

“So it’s nice to get the compliments but you’ve got to keep grinding and keep putting in the hard work. I’m quite level-headed and know I’ve got a long way to go.” The England camp will be pleased to hear Lavelle works just as assiduously on his keeping as his batting but it was only by chance that he stumbled upon the gloves.

“I started when I was nine or ten at an indoor tournament when the usual keeper couldn’t get there because of the snow,” recalled Lavelle. “I put my hand up and it came quite naturally to me, I’ve always enjoyed it and it was a good decision to take.

“Since then I’ve worked hard on both batting and keeping.You have to be a good a batter now – Test level keepers can get in just on the strength of their batting.”

Comparisons with Hameed are both premature and wide of the mark – where the England opener is classical in style, Lavelle likes to give the bowlers a thrash. But Lavelle admits the rise of Hameed has shown he can start dreaming big no matter his age.

“Hopefully next year I can get more 2nd XI opportunities,” he added. “I like to be aggressive and I think I’ve progressed again this year. With the Lancashire U17s I got to the national final.

“You have to be your own type of player but I can take some inspiration from Haseeb seeing him come down the county route this year.

“Seeing him do it inspires you to think that others can.”