George Bartlett enjoyed the chance to bowl his occasional off-spin at Somerset team-mate Craig Overton in the WACA nets ahead of the third Ashes Test – an unexpected bonus of his ECB Overseas Placement.
Bartlett is one of eight young players on Placements this winter, which involve them playing club cricket in the southern hemisphere summer and receiving specialist coaching – in his case playing for the University club in the Western Australia Premier Cricket competition, and working with the former Glamorgan and Surrey batsman Stewart Walters, and also the former Australia opener Geoff Marsh.
“It’s been a great experience so far,” said the 19-year-old, who made the first four senior appearances of his career in Somerset’s dramatic Championship survival battle in September.
“The weather’s hot and sunny, the cricket is challenging and enjoyable, and this week I’ve got a close-up view of the Ashes. You couldn’t ask for much better really.”
Both Bartlett and Max Holden, the Middlesex opener who is also spending the winter in Perth on an ECB Placement, received an invitation to the WACA nets from Mark Ramprakash, having worked with England’s batting coach previously on the International Pathway.
“We’ve been training with the Lions a bit at Murdoch University since they arrived in Perth, and Ramps asked us to join a couple of sessions with England at the WACA,” Bartlett explained.
“We haven’t got to do much batting obviously, but it’s been good to be around. I had a bowl at Craig Overton but he launched me for a few to be honest.
“I’d seen Craig when England were in Perth at the start of the tour and it was good to catch up with him again this week and congratulate him on his Test debut. That 40-odd he scored showed what we all know in Somerset about his batting, and I thought he bowled well as well.
“Dom Bess and Jack Leach have been doing well with the Lions, and it’s great to see that three of our younger lads – Tom Banton, Tom Lammonby and Fin Trenouth – are in England’s Under-19s World Cup squad.
“I’m due back to join pre-season in March, and it’ll be good to catch up with my former Under-19s coach Andy Hurry now he’s back at Somerset as director of cricket. Sarge and Jason Kerr have been in touch asking how I’m getting on out here, and I’m looking forward to getting back to Somerset and hopefully starting well.
“But I don’t want to get ahead of myself because I’ve still got a few months out in Perth to make the most of this opportunity.
“It’s a really good set-up with University. We’ve got some familiar names at the club – guys like Ashton Agar and James Muirhead, who have been great. We’re third in the table as well, so the mood is pretty good.
“I’ve had a few decent scores, but I’d like a really big one before I leave. There’s plenty of time left.”
Bartlett made an instant impression with 81 on his University debut against South Perth, and has since scored 69 against Scarborough as well as a couple of half centuries in the Colts competition.
Last weekend he impressed in scoring 85 in the victory over Holden’s Wanneroo club.
But there is more to the Placement than the challenge of grade cricket at the weekend.
“We have sessions with Stewart Walters on a weekly basis, and when he’s been away we’ve been working with Geoff Marsh,” Bartlett added. “They’re both really good blokes. It’s a big week for Geoff with his two sons [Mitchell and Shaun] playing in the Test, but he doesn’t really say too much about that.
“I managed to get a ticket in the members stand for the first day of the Test, so that was another bonus. It was great to see Craig out there playing for England.”
ECB Overseas Placements
Perth
George Bartlett (Somerset)
Max Holden (Middlesex)
Sydney
Matthew Parkinson (Lancashire)
Matt Critchley (Derbyshire)
Delray Rawlins (Sussex)
Ollie Pope (Surrey)
Wellington
Andrew Salter (Glamorgan)
Brad Taylor (Hampshire)