Cricket's rising star
"During my gap year I was contracted for the full year, so I played a whole year professionally. Last summer I went back as soon as university cricket finished. It turned out that I drove straight from the last day of the varsity match to join the squad so that was pretty instantaneous. This year I don't know."
Despite Jamie Dalrymple's county contract, Oxford still comes first; "there is an ECB rule that says that in the event of a clash between your University Cricket Centre of Excellence (UCCE) and your county, the centre of excellence should win - up until the first of July, that is."
The ECB has recently set up centres of excellence in six university towns aimed at improving the standard of the game. Dalrymple is already seeing positive effects; "the standard of university cricket has gone up immensely. In terms of competing with the counties, I think we can compete a lot better now that teams are combined. The Oxford squad has been greatly strengthened by the players from Brookes."
"That's our greatest problem with Oxford cricket - entry. Something like four or five guys who play for Durham tried to get in and got rejected. If you look at the six centres and the number of players contracted to each, you'll see that Loughborough and Durham are streets ahead. The situation is complicated because Loughborough and Durham, within their own universities, do offer flexible entry.
"For example, I certainly know a couple of guys at Durham's Stockton on grades that wouldn't get you into the main part of Durham. Likewise Loughborough are flexible with the points they require for certain courses. Oxford and Cambridge can't do that. With university league tables, they have to make sure that everyone is academically sound. Also cricket is perceived to take up a lot of time, which is true, and it takes place in the summer, the exam term. So it certainly makes dons very wary!"
Earlier this month, Jamie Dalrymple captained the British Universities against the Sri Lankans, so what did he make of the tourists? "Of the side we played against, only Jayawardena was missing from the Test team. They looked like players of great quality.
"I'd have thought that bowling might be the only area of concern for them. Without Muralitharan people say they're toothless, I'm not sure that's fair. They were missing Fernando against us who offers the quickest pace they have. Vaas' quality was clear for all to see. In the morning we were scoring at over five an over but only averaged one and a half off of Vaas. The other guys seem young, especially Buddika. Although he was a bit loose against us, he has played well in the Test match. At Test level, you underestimate anyone at your peril. I think they are a very talented side."
Despite some notable university successes, the county sides that they face usually beat Oxford and Cambridge. You might think that losing would affect morale but in fact "the question of getting beaten shouldn't worry the players too much. They are wise enough to the fact that the difference between the sides is enormous."
For example with the Worcester game; "they'd prepared for a month and played a few games whilst it was our first game. We missed a few half chances off their batsmen and they made a large score. In those conditions, their bowlers then bowled very well. Batsmen for universities can have great ability but are very inexperienced. You may well have the ability to play difficult bowlers but unless you are used to it, it takes time to acclimatise. You just don't have that time. One chance and you're out. Everyone is wise enough to understand how these games work.
"In the past counties wouldn't necessarily bring their strongest side but, looking at the sides we played, Worcester and Northampton came down almost full strength. We competed well with the bat the first time around and then fell down a bit on the experience level on a wearing pitch. That's a lesson to the batsmen and hopefully they'll all learn from that. We all emerge richer as players afterwards."
Under the auspices of Aussie legend, Rodney Marsh, the ECB founded a national academy along the lines of the famous academy Down Under. The wool should not be pulled over our eyes, though, as copying Australia isn't necessarily the answer; "it has been very easy recently for people to say that the Australian way is the right way because of their success. They have an academy and now the English have an academy up and running.
"There are so many variables between the two games, though. Lots of Australians view the English county game as a finishing school. They come here a lot and they learn a vast amount. Of those who have played for Australia recently, those who haven't played in England are in the minority." Langer, Hayden, Ponting, Blewitt, both Waughs, Bevan, the list goes on. The academy has one great immediate advantage, though, as "through the academy system, or so it seems to be coming out from Rodney Marsh, you learn a lot about players' mentality. Some of them have it, some of them don't. In terms of ability, I think England do have it.
"The point about facilities is an interesting one and I think that's where the crux lies. The weather in Australia is better, the outdoor practice facilities are far better, and the wickets are better. I play club cricket in England and I know that the wickets are appalling by comparison with Australian ones. This makes a big difference in terms of what players are successful.
To get to the top in sport you have to have ambition, albeit tempered with a touch of realism, as Dalrymple freely admits; "to say there is no timetable for my career would be a lie! Playing for England is reliant on form, ability and a little bit of luck just to get your opportunity, and then you have to take that chance. For me university is a bit of a two-edged sword. It's magnificent to come to Oxford and do the academic side of things and meet some great people. Sometimes I do get some pangs of frustration on the cricket side; it would be nice to crash on with it but I know that I am learning a huge amount on the cricket field whilst I'm here.
Dalrymple leaves Oxford at the end of next year, with a contract at Middlesex secured until the middle of the following year. But he remains pragmatic, adamant that "I'm not going to clog up the game for long. As a guy with a way out, I'll give it a crack, three or four years in the county game. If at that point I'm still struggling to establish myself in a county side, I'll move on and give the space to someone else... but if there is a hint of going on upwards in the game, I'm sure I'll give it a crack."
One thing that is quickly apparent is Dalrymple's love of the game. You only have to compare the way the Sri Lankans bat with the way the Australians bat and then again with the English to see that "cricket is a fascinating game because within it there is such variety."
30th May 2002