Canterbury Cricket has caught up on the latest from the Village of Ryton in the Durham County where Canterbury Under 19 Captain Tom Latham is currently calling home.
Tom has formed a great relationship with the Durham Academy coaching staff of John Windows and his assistant Alistair Maiden. Tom says they are both tough and honest coaches whose main objective is to make them all better cricketers. ‘I do quite a bit of work with John who is a really nice guy and a good coach who loves the competitive side of things. He loves rolling the arm over in the nets and getting a few scalps so he can rub it in for a week or so! Alistair is another good coach and I have done a lot of work with him on my keeping.’
The academy practice schedule includes two weekly trainings and Tom schedules his own training and fitness sessions around these in the hope that he will get fitter and gain a competitive edge. ‘I try to do my individual trainings at the Riverside (Durham’s home ground) once a week depending on what days we are playing. Then fitness wise I go to the gym before each training and do cardio on my days off. I am just trying to stay fit so I am not behind when I get back as the boys back home have been telling just how hard Max (Neil Tyndall, Wizards Trainer) has been working them this winter.’
On the cricket field Tom has been playing mostly for his club side, Gateshead Fell, as the Durham Academy have a few weeks off from cricket to complete their exams. The club side started off well clocking up four wins from four games but have not registered a win in the past few outings. Personally Tom is continuing to achieve with the bat ‘I got my second hundred of the league and my third since I’ve been here, I got 119 against Newcastle. I have been scoring runs consistently so it’s been really good. I am really enjoying my cricket at the moment; it is great to have a bit of responsibility to win games for your side because they rely on you.’ Tom regards Chester Le Street in the League Competition and the Lancashire 2nd XI as the toughest teams he has faced during his time so far. ‘Chester Le Street is a great side, well drilled, great players and a good pitch with lots of pace. They blew us off the park and we had no answer. The Lancashire 2nd XI is the major game I have playing in for the Durham 2nd’s which we played at Riverside and was a great experience, I hope to play a few more games there.’
Tom has also been rubbing shoulders with some of the games best known players. ‘Since I’ve been here I have met and been around a lot of international players. In the Durham set up alone I have met Steve Harmison (England Fast Bowler), Liam Plunkett (England Medium-Fast Bowler), Graham Onions (England Medium-Fast Bowler), Paul Collingwood (England All Rounder) and Albie Morkel (South African All Rounder).’ Black Caps batsman Ross Taylor has also settled into the Durham set up as a member of the counties Twenty20 side which Tom has been making the most of- ‘Ross is a really nice guy and I’ve managed to have a few cricket chats with him which has been really great.’
Finally, a message for Toms parents, Rod and Sally Latham- ‘my cooking skills are getting better. I have had to fend for myself and not rely on other people to look after me, oh and mum, my whites are still the same colour!’
Canterbury Cricket will catch up with Tom again in a month to get the latest from on and off the cricket field and how those whites are looking.