This week Ian Nockolds talks to Miners’ Goalkeeper, Jack Scrivens about all things, well, cricket! Jack is celebrating winning the ECB National Club Champions Final with Bath Cricket Club. The podcast transcript is below:
Ian Nockolds: "I’m delighted to welcome to the Sounds of the Sea podcast, the audio platform, of course, for Radstock Town (The Miners). It’s Jack Scrivens, our stopper. Hello, Jack, how are you?"
Jack Scrivens: "I’m good. Thank you. How are you?"
IN: "I’m all right. Now, of course, normally when we speak to people on the Sounds of the Sea it’s because we want to talk to them about the football, but we want to have a chat with you about the cricket because you’ve become ECB National Club Champions with Bath. So, first of all, congratulations on that achievement. I mean, you must be very proud."
JS: "Thank you, yeah, I think we’re the first team in history, in Bath’s history anyway, to to win the Father. The club have tried it three times before us, and come up runners-up every time so everyone in and around the club are very proud."
IN: "Fourth time lucky then. Now, let’s bring this back to football. If we were looking at the National Club Championship from a football perspective, what’s the equivalent competition, Jack? Is it the FA Cup or the FA vase?"
JS: "I’d probably say the FA vase or the FA trophy, I think it’s probably a non-league top division team, I think."
IN: "And I’m assuming, as the title would suggest, it’s obviously open to clubs from across the country?"
JS: "Across the whole country, yeah. So, we were quite lucky, really, we only sort of played the team at St. Fagans in Wales. We were quite local, the furthest we probably went was Weybridge for the Quarter Final. And luckily enough, we had a Semi-Final at home, and then obviously the final win in Wormsley. So, there wasn’t too much travelling, luckily for us."
IN: "So, how many games did you play on your route to the Final?"
JS: "I think it was probably about five."
IN: "You mentioned that this is a competition that Bath Cricket Club have played in before, but how much did the Coronavirus impact upon this year’s tournament? I mean, were you able to play in front of spectators? Did it curtail the number of matches, did you see games called off?"
JS: "Luckily, I think this season was much more accessible than last season. I think at the start of the season, you know, we weren’t allowed in changing rooms, spectators weren’t actually allowed to come to North Parade in Bath. But you know, the restrictions eased and we were allowed back into changing rooms at certain a point, and by the time the national competition kicked off, we were quite lucky really, we had fans in, we were allowed back in the changing rooms. So, you know, travel was back, we could get on the bus, so that made it a lot easier than travelling in individual cars."
IN: "You travelled to Herefordshire for the Final, you played a team called Sandiacre Town. What did you know about them going into the match?"
JS: "Not too much to be honest. Obviously, everyone can look at scorecards and their stats and have a look. I, as a batter, looked at bowling, who’s their best bowler and I saw Brad Welden, I think he was their leading wicket taker. So, you can only really look up stats and stuff, so we didn’t know too much. Their league is still going, they had a game on the Saturday before the final on the Sunday, so we think that played into our hand a little bit."
IN: "Did you go into the match expecting to win, or did the experience of the other three defeats, was it weighing heavy on you?"
JS: "No, I don’t think it did, actually. I think the team was probably the best the club has ever seen. I think everyone just gets on with everyone and there wasn’t really ... to be honest there wasn’t much pressure on our shoulders from inside the team. We enjoyed our company with everyone, and I think our ability just shone through at the end."
IN: "Now, before we get into the action of the Final, let’s have a quick chat about your role. We know, obviously, all about your skills with the gloves and between the sticks, so I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised to see that you play as a wicket-keeper."
JS: "Yeah! Well, I wasn’t actually down to be the wicket-keeper in the final, Ben Wells was. He travelled down with us on the Saturday night and got a call from Gloucestershire, James Bracey was out with concussion. So, he had to travel back and go and play for Gloucestershire and make his championship debut, which was good for him, obviously. Not so good that he missed the Final, but it gave me the opportunity to get the gloves, so I managed to take some catches, which was good!"
IN: "Yes, you certainly did. We will have to have a chat about that later. Is it the equivalent of an outfield player going in goal? I mean, were you happy? Is it a position that you’ve played before?"
JS: "I’ve only done it a number of times, really. But I think goalkeeping has helped a lot. It’s the same sort of fundamental skills as wicket-keeping, your footwork, where you catch the ball and head position. But yeah, it’s something that I really enjoy, actually."
IN: "So, talk us through the day then, it started well for your team, because you won the toss."
JS: "Yeah, the toss was a big one for us. I think we were confident if we had to chase or put on a score, but I think it did help in the final putting on 200+, that was our aim. It puts a lot of mental pressure on the other team to go and chase. So, that’s what we were focussing on, trying to get to the 200+ mark, really."
IN: "And you managed that as well. You played a pretty important role in that because you finished the innings undefeated, didn’t you?"
JS: "Yeah, I finished on, I think, 34 not out off of 20-odd balls. But yeah, the wicket was a bit too paced, it was a bit hard to get away. Just playing proper cricket shots rather than being too aggressive and trying to hit boundaries, it was a big old boundary, so it was a bit more sensible cricket to be played."
IN: "I suppose, though, that innings was quite crucial, really, when you look at what you were trying to achieve in the first innings because you want to hit 200+, at the end of your innings you’ve, of course, scored 220. So, that knock of 34 towards the end was pretty important."
JS: "I think I went in when we were about 160 or 170. So my role was to get us as close or beyond 200. I felt like, you know, a confident innings paid off in the end."
IN: "At the interval, then, were spirits high? Did you think that you’d put yourselves in a good position to be able to see out the game?"
JS: "Definitely. I think spirits were very high. We were very confident that we had enough runs to win the game, especially with our bowling attack, I think Paul Muchall ended up first, the leading wicket-taker in the country in the competition. So yeah, we know that we had the bowling to back it up, but I think that we were very quietly confident at the halfway point."
IN: "And you played your part as well, didn’t you, in that second innings. You mentioned the confidence you had in the bowling attack, but you took four catches in total."
JS: "Yeah, I managed to take four catches. I think I’ve got eight catches all together, so I average four catches a game. So, I’m very happy with that but I think that comes from the bowling, really, I think I’ve just got to take the catches as they come."
IN: "Well, it’s catches that win matches, isn’t it?"
JS: "Exactly, catches win matches!"
IN: "I know you said at the top of the interview that Bath had never won this tournament before. But with the buzz around at the club, where does this achievement sit in the history of Bath Cricket Club? Is it really buzzing at the moment?"
JS: "There’s a real good buzz around the club, obviously making history I think it probably sits at number one, I think to everyone tells the past players, local players, they all say that this is the best achievement the club have ever seen. I’m still buzzing and that’s three days later. We’re off to Lord’s next Tuesday to play in a game against the MCC. Everyone can’t wait to get back together with all the lads."
IN: "Because that’s the other benefit of winning this tournament, isn’t it, that game at the home of cricket. Have you ever played at Lord’s before?"
JS: "I’ve done lots of training at Lord’s with the YC’s [youth cricket] but never actually played at the ground. But yeah, I’m really excited to get the opportunity to play at probably the best ground in the world."
IN: "And will you be wicket-keeper?"
JS: "I’m not too sure, I think it would either be me or Ben Wells. I think maybe we could do half each, but that depends if he’s in the squad for the Gloucestershire team for the championship, I guess."
IN: "Well, Jack, congratulations, this has got to be the most ’football sounding’ cricket interview that I think anybody has ever done. We’ll finish by bringing it back to football because I know from my conversations with the Radstock Town Manager, Ryan Child, that this season has been a bit stop-start, but I think he certainly has still got high aspirations for the team this season, and I imagine that those are aspirations that you share."
JS: "Oh, yeah, definitely. I think the squad hasn’t really changed massively compared to last year, and as you can see by the table, we only narrowly missed promotion. Everyone’s ambitions around the club are still the same, I think promotion is still on the cards. I think we’re only four points from last time I looked at the league, so I think we’re definitely in and around promotion where we want to be. Like I said, I think everyone’s pretty confident that we can string a few games together, get the same squads out and about every week, and I think we should be there or thereabouts."
IN: "I know one of the frustrating things for Ryan has been the number of players that have been out in games, and I’m just wondering, really, did your cricket keep you out of the Radstock goal at all this season?"
JS: "A couple of games, unfortunately, but Ryan actually, he was really good, and he understood that these sorts of opportunities don’t come round very often; playing in a Final and have the opportunity to play at Lord’s. So, he was really good, and we’ve got a good Reserve Keeper in Lucas, he is a really good goalkeeper and they’re in safe hands, I think."
IN: "Absolutely. I mean, normally the excuses a football manager gets are stag dos, but I think when you’re playing in the ECB National Club Champions Final, I think that’s a pretty good excuse!"
JS: "He did mention that that was probably up there with one of the best excuses he’s ever heard, alongside maybe having a baby!"
IN: "Jack, congratulations on that, and I’m sure it would be, for you personally, an incredibly special season if Radstock do manage to achieve promotion. And you’ve been part of the team that have done that and become the national club champions as well at cricket. I think that would be a really fantastic achievement, so fingers crossed that you’re able to complete that memorable double."
JS: "Hopefully, that would be brilliant."
IN: "Excellent, Jack. Thanks very much for your time."