August 31, The Cricket Paper

By his own admission, George McMenemy bowls “rustic right-arm over” and the braces holding up his whites make him look like a “Hampshire Morris Dancer” but the first wicket of his career garnered more social media attention than many of the Test dismissals this summer. It certainly provided cricket’s feel-good story of the season.

On July 23, @ThatsSoVillage posted a clip of McMenemy bowling only the second over of his two seasons with Newport Inn CC, a small team based in Braishfield in the rolling Hampshire countryside. The 21-year-old ambled in off a couple of paces and sent down a high, looping delivery that has never been seen before or since in any coaching manual. The batsman skewed a catch to extra cover, prompting the most joyful series of celebratory skips from the rotund McMenemy.

It was all very ‘village’ yet utterly delightful and, as a result, the video has been viewed 120,000 times. But, this was not just another slice of ephemeral social media. There was a serious, sobering story behind the celebration with McMenemy, the most unlikely of cricket-playing heroes.

Almost three years ago, just days before he was set to leave for university, George’s mother passed away unexpectedly in her sleep. Understandably, he was enveloped by dark thoughts and later diagnosed with PTSD. However, he decided cricket, and specifically Newport Inn CC, would be his salvation. George was already a “badger” having attended the World Cup final and Sir Alastair Cook’s farewell century. But playing the game was a huge hurdle due to dyspraxia, which affects his fine motor skills, balance and spatial awareness. Years earlier, playground taunts had left him believing that playing cricket, or any other sport, was not for him.

“I chose a sport that was the anathema of what I should be doing,” he told The Cricket Paper. “But it has allowed me to honour my Mum. She is buried in Braishfield and my grandparents still live there so it was my dream to represent the village. It has helped my grief as I am playing with a lot of people who knew my her. I know it sounds cheesy but cricket is my life. It is a huge part of who I am today and how I have recovered.

“Everything I had done to get playing and representing my village just came out when I got that wicket. I was over the moon and the support from the cricket community on social media really melted my heart. I have always felt the game encompasses how you should live your life. I have never felt accepted in any other sport but the reaction on Twitter made me feel accepted in cricket.”

Although McMenemy’s Twitter bio proclaims he is the “worst cricketer in the world” he is clearly improving. He hit his highest score, three, batting at No11 last weekend and has shared a nine-over last-wicket stand of 41, in which he contributed the one. He’ll captain the Third XI at the University of Sussex next season and has been voted vice-president of the entire club. Each achievement has been posted on his account, @McMcMenemy, with a big, bearded, bespectacled smile. The response has been nothing but encouraging because cricket loves a trier more than most sports. Last season, Pavel Florin went from Romania’s most cack-handed bowler to something of a cricketing celebrity because of his sheer, unbridled enthusiasm.

Perhaps this is the nature of a sport in which individuals, whatever their standard, can take centre stage in a team environment. Perhaps it is a modern manifestation of the game’s true spirit. But, in a year in which we were deprived of cricket for so long, anyone trying to improve their skills and expressing such delight in the very process should be celebrated. If they have had to overcome personal tragedy to reach that point then, for once, let’s use social media to trumpet their achievements.

So keep smiling, keep playing and keep improving, George. Your Mum would be proud of you.

* Read The Grumbler column The Cricket Paper, every Sunday during the season

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