Lancashire’s Second XI and England U19 are next aims
Aged only 17 entering this past summer, Ed Fluck’s main objective was to get selected for the North at the Super-4s competition in Loughborough and impress on the national stage.
He did just that, scoring two centuries in three matches and being named the Player of the Series for the event in August, which pits the best U17s in the country against one another with South West, Midlands and London and East the opposition.
It capped a strong summer for Fluck and the Alderley Edge batsman admits he couldn’t have asked for more from the campaign.
He said: “At the start of the year the Super-4s was the main aim for all U17s, so for it to go so well is brilliant.
“We played our games from March to August and then there was the selection for the Super-4s. I knew most of the players in the team from playing against them, and also at Bunbury two years ago.
“The wickets were great, they were quick and bouncy but there was some spin, so there was something for everyone.
“I’m quite an attacking batsman and like to take the game to the opposition and it worked out well there.”
The Loughborough success wasn’t Fluck’s only impressive feat last season though.While he was playing against Derby U17s for Cheshire, he and Alderley Edge teammate Sam Perry added 358 for the fourth wicket.
The pair, who are both in the Lancashire academy, and featured for the North in the Super-4s, have known each other for a decade.
Fluck said: “We both came through at the same club, from the age of six or seven so we’ve spent a lot of time playing together and in the middle together.
“We also joined the Lancashire academy together in 2015 and he’s one of my best mates, so that was a special partnership.”
A talented all-round sportsman, Fluck was also a promising footballer before deciding to stick to cricket, following in the footsteps of his father Andy, who also played for Alderley Edge.
In 2017 he also got his first taste of minor counties cricket, playing three games for Cheshire and scoring 80 on debut against Wales.
So as he prepares for next season, the main ambition for the young batsman is to establish himself in the Lancashire second team, for whom he featured this season, as well as cracking England’s U19s squad.
He added: “I really want to nail down a regular spot in the second team for Lancashire and also push into the England U19s team next season.
“At Lancashire I’ve spoken to (academy director) Gary Yates about trying to become more confident against the short ball. That’s the sort of thing you have to be able to cope with if you want to succeed at first class level or even at international level.
“This season exceeded my expectations in terms of what I achieved so I’ll be spending the winter working hard again and hopefully will have another successful season.”