Image Credit [Leeds University Men’s Cricket Club]

Ahead of the forthcoming year, The Gryphon meets Leeds University Mens’ Cricket Captain, Ally Sadler, to get his thoughts on the year ahead.

Obviously last season was a memorable one for the club; winning indoor varsity, outdoor varsity and becoming indoor national champions. What was your personal highlight?

I think winning the indoor Varsity was a great feat to set the tone for a successful year. To then go on and become indoor national champions was something which none of the boys could have anticipated given our lack of previous success in the format and this was an amazing achievement. The celebrations from that night will live long in the memory! But for me, the highlight has to be the outdoor Varsity win. This day is the pinnacle of our cricketing summer and the way in which we dominated the game from start to finish with 50+ members watching on from the boundary really made it a special day for the club.

Following on from such a good season, what are your aims for the club this year?

This year is all about building on the successes that we’ve had in the past few years. The club is in a really strong place both on and off the field and it really is an exciting time to be a part of it. Off the field, I am really hoping this year is a year where the club can continue to grow in size and stature. With around 100 active members now, it is my aim to make the cricket club one of the most prominent and talked about clubs on campus.

This summer there has been some fantastic progress from alumni members with George Scott and Martin Andersson both making their first-class debuts for Middlesex. That must bring immense pride to the club and say a lot about what level the club is performing at?

Of course. All the boys are delighted for Scotty and Martin! It really is testament to how hard they’ve worked and shows just what can be achieved from an aspiring cricketer coming to Leeds. If you look back at alumni who graduated two years ago, Nick Gubbins is in with a shout of being on the plane this winter for England’s away series. This consistent production of quality cricketers from the LUUMCC ranks is no accident and we can’t wait to see what the new fresher intake has in store for us this year!

The highlight has to be the outdoor Varsity win. This day is the pinnacle of our cricketing summer and the way in which we dominated the game from start to finish with 50+ members watching on from the boundary really made it a special day for the club.

LUUMCC has clearly performed some quite special achievements, but are there still opportunities to get involved if you perhaps aren’t the most supreme cricketer?

100%. We pride ourselves on our inclusivity and are welcoming of all potential members regardless of cricketing ability. Whilst we have a high performing main squad who train weekly throughout the winter, we also run Development squad sessions every Friday in the Edge from 19:00-20:30 for students of all abilities. If you’ve never played cricket before but fancy giving it a go, we have a Give It A Go Session on Friday 9 November in the same location and time as above. We also have a vibrant social calendar throughout the winter, meeting every Wednesday night at the Original Oak for a whole host of social events including the Otley Run, curry social and my personal favourite, Beer Olympics.

Finally, if people are interested in getting involved in your society, how can they find out more?

Come and find us at Freshers Fair between 10-5 on both Tuesday 25th and Wednesday 26th at the Sports Fair in the Edge Sports Hall to answer any questions you may have and get you signed up and on our mailing list. We are on Facebook where you can join the Facebook group ‘LUUMCC’. Here, updates on trials, social events and other exciting things going on in the club will be posted. We can also be found on Instagram as UoLMCC and on Twitter @LUUMCC so give us a like/follow and have a read through our pages to see what the club’s all about.