ARTICLE: Singh rounds off series of promise (P.Haigh) 7 Feb 1995

Under-19 Tour: Singh rounds off series of promise

PAUL HAIGH REPORTS ON THE TEAM WHO OFFER PLENTY OF HOPE  FOR  EN-
GLISH CRICKET

ENGLAND Under-19s brought their Caribbean tour  to  a  triumphant
conclusion  at  Kingston  Oval, Barbados, on Tuesday when, thanks
mainly to 130 from man-of-the-series Anurag Singh, they completed
a  2-1 victory over their West Indian  counterparts in  the  one-
day series.

Singh, of Warwickshire, scored his runs off 116 balls, hitting 10
fours  and  four  sixes as England made 278 for six. The West In-
dies were dismissed for 188 in reply, losing by 90 runs.

Anyone who saw this team in action against a side  who  were  ex-
pected  to  thrash  them might reasonably have found himself mum-
bling about having seen English  cricket`s  future,   and  having
noticed  that  it works.

Much of the credit goes to manager Graham   Saville   and   coach
David  Lloyd,  but  some  of the self-confidence and team  spirit
seems to have been generated by the captain, Marcus Trescothick.

He believes it has been a tour in  which   "everyone   seems   to
have come on a lot", adding: "We`ve shown we`re a lot better than
people thought we were. We`ve been a bit  aggressive.  Maybe  too
aggressive   at times.  But we have to stand up for ourselves be-
cause the crowds  were all against us - and some thought the  um-
pires were too.

"Nine out of 10 of these players will go on  and  play  for  Eng-
land"

"Then there was the problem of age. I  knew   they   were   older
than  we  were as soon as I saw who was playing because a  few of
them had come to England a couple of years ago."

The misunderstanding over age meant a   youthful   England   team
gave  away  at  least  12 months and yet, with the exception of a
narrow de- feat in one `Test` in which they got the worse of both
the  conditions and the decisions, and a poor effort in the first
limited-overs  game, they finished on top in every day`s  cricket
they played.

Trescothick  was  particularly   complimentary   about    Anthony
McGrath, of Yorkshire - "probably the best batsman  on  the tour"
-  and Vikram Solanki. But he seemed to have as  much  belief  in
most   of  his party as they had in him. "Nine out of 10 of these
players will  go  on and play for England," he insisted.

Trescothick could have made a career for himself  in  football if
he  had  wanted.  "I  just hope I`ve made the right decision," he
said.

He made two first-class hundreds last summer  and   his   88   on
Sunday  left  the  impression  there will be more soon. He  could
also  carry the "future  England  captain"  tag  that  once  hung
round  Mike Atherton`s neck.

Thanks: Electronic Telegraph
 Contributed by nayak (adiking@*.bradley.edu)