Photo: Tom Loten in batting action for Yorkshire Academy last season
OP Tom Loten (06-17) made his first team debut for Yorkshire County Cricket Club in their one day cup game against Durham at Headingley, earlier this month.
Unfortunately, the British wet weather was against the Yorkshire side, with the match being declared abandoned with Durham having batted for 34 overs and Yorkshire not having an opportunity to reply.
Despite the match outcome, this was a great achievement for Tom. His father, OP Trevor Loten (OP President) said: “It was a proud moment for me when Tom made his 1st XI Yorkshire debut this morning! My initial disappointment at not being able to go due to work commitments was negated by the fact that I didn't miss him bat!”
Tom will undoubtedly have learnt from this experience, however brief. In his Yorkshire CCC website match report, stand-in captain Tom Kohler-Cadmore commented: “The lads who came in and made their debuts, I thought they performed nicely. They weren’t under too much pressure and felt like they could express themselves.”
For Tom, a middle-order batsman and seam bowler, this call-up comes after demonstrating a consistent level of performance over several months. Tom was presented with Academy Player of the Year 2018 after completing an outstanding debut season and has been named the Academy Captain for 2019.
After the match, Tom gave his thoughts: “It is great to see the hard work I’ve put in paying off and it was a dream come true playing in front of a Yorkshire crowd at Headingley, although disappointing I didn’t get a bat.”
Although the weather was the winner for Tom’s List A debut, this appearance will only bolster his confidence and hopefully there will be many more first team opportunities as the season unfolds. Good luck Tom!
Photo credit: Phil Gilbank (67-74)