Sam unable to resist Ashes lure
MANIFOLD Heights recruit Sam Chatterton is living the dream.
Two days after finishing his Yorkshire League South season at Whitley Hall Cricket Club, the UK import jumped on a plane with his girlfriend bound for Australia.
Not only will the schoolteacher avoid the Northern Hemisphere winter, but he’ll also get the chance to see a Boxing Day Test live.
It was an old teammate, Greig Batty, who used to play at Torquay who suggested the 27-year-old make the trek to Australia.
It’s the first time Chatterton has been to the great southern land.
“He got me into the idea, and with the Ashes on this year as well, it would be good to see us win that. I think England will win comfortably this year,” Chatterton laughed.
“I play with him (Batty) back at Sheffield and he’s got family in Lara.
“His sister in law used to work with Damian Tom, who was the president of Manifold Heights, and the link was kind of made there, really.
“I spoke to Damian and it sounded like an awesome club, so that’s history really. Now I’m here.”
The wicketkeeper batsman has been a consistent run scorer, logging 378 runs at 22.24 over the English summer just gone, to go with 27 catches and five stumpings. “I’ve been there pretty much all my life,” Chatterton said of Whitley Hall, his club back home.
“We finished on the 16th of September and we flew on the 18th. We’ve had no rest really, two weeks off cricket.
“I’ve been training and the team look pretty good so hopefully we should have a good year.”
Manifold Heights kicks off its GCA2 season against Highton today.