Emerging talents XI: My pick of the best young players in the Bob Willis Trophy

To mark the end of the Bob Willis Trophy, for which the final starts on Wednesday, here is an XI of young cricketers who seized their opportunity this season, after Covid kept away so many overseas players and Kolpaks. Their ages range from 21 to the 16 year-old James Coles.

Who else should I have included? Let me know in the comments section.

1. Tom Lammonby, 20, Somerset
Near as could be to a replica of Sir Alastair Cook, but more flexible — he bends his front knee more into the drive — and a fine cover-fielder or boundary scout. Got into the Somerset T20 side last season as a left-arm medium-pacer but found his feet in the Bob Willis Trophy as an opener, scoring hundreds in successive games against Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. A 20 year-old from Exeter, who has played for Devon and England U-19, with all the shots, Cook’s concentration, and a big future.

2. Emilio Gay, 20, Northamptonshire
Opening a red-ball innings is the hardest thing to learn on the job — as West Indies have found since retiring Desmond Haynes prematurely — and Northamptonshire set out to give their youngsters a chance in the Bob Willis Trophy. But Gay gradually found his feet, without anyone experienced at the other end, and culminated in an unbeaten 77 that saw his team home against a decent Glamorgan pace attack. The sort of determination you would expect from a tall, well-built product of Sir Alastair Cook’s alma mater, Bedford School.

3. Jordan Cox, 19, Kent
Set many records with his allround strokeplay when he made his unbeaten 238 against Sussex: highest partnership for Kent (438 with Jack Leaning off only 95 overs), highest maiden century for Kent, their highest ever against Sussex — and he keeps wicket, as so many of the best young batsmen now do. And cricket’s reputation as a great leveller was enhanced when Cox had to be dropped for the next game after posing for a photo with a fan instead of social distancing.

4. Jamie Smith, 20, Surrey
Another wicketkeeper/batsman from the stable trained by Alec Stewart, including Ollie Pope and Rory Burns, and Ben Foakes acquired from Essex. Smith kept wicket when Foakes was required by England, and kept his place simply as a batsman in both red- and white-ball cricket on his return. One of the bulwarks of Surrey’s team amid the comings and goings in their season of turmoil. The cover-drive is his signature stroke.

5. James Coles, 16, Sussex
An Aylesbury boy who won a cricket scholarship to Magdalen School and a product of Sussex’s coaching connection with Oxfordshire. Became Sussex’s youngest first-class player, at 16, when he made his debut against Surrey at the Oval. A calm batsman with all the shots, even if he will have to grow stronger before there is much weight behind them, while his left arm produced a spinner that knocked out Ben Foakes’s off stump. Give him time.

6. George Hill, 19, Yorkshire
Hit on the head while batting last week in a T20 against Derbyshire, and carried on batting, but subsequently diagnosed as concussed. Went to Sedbergh, like Harry Brook, who had a big reputation as England Under-19 captain but has yet to live up to it. Hill, more understated, might - as a batsman who bowls pace. His career has been interlinked with George Balderson (below): Hill was England Under-19 captain when Balderson was unavailable.

7. George Balderson, 19, Lancashire
The England Under-19 captain has steadily found his feet as an allrounder or, in the longer term, as a lefthanded batsman who bowls. For one so youthful, he was remarkably patient at the crease early on then expanded to reach a maiden 50 in the last game. As a bowler, of relatively slight build, he is brisk, and even took the new ball against Derbyshire, and confidently knows the field he wants.

8. Blake Cullen, 18, Middlesex
Tall — very tall for his age — Cullen is a chest-on pace bowler who can bat and has played for England Under-19s. Made his Middlesex Second XI debut when only 15. On his first-class debut, against Sussex, his first two wickets were top five batsmen dismissed in the right way, one caught behind, the other at second slip. Also showed good hands and calmness under pressure when taking a swirling catch at fine-leg.

9. Tom Hartley, 21, Lancashire
Thrown in at the deep end — or rather at the end with a short boundary on the legside — when he made his debut against Leicestershire at the neutral venue of New Road in Worcester. Very tall, good at white- and red-ball spin, can bat and is an excellent fielder as the son of the former sprinter Bill Hartley. It is much easier of course to become a white-ball spinner nowadays than a red-ball one.

10. Sam Connors, 21, Derbyshire
A Nottingham-born lad from the Derbyshire academy who was given the new ball at the start of the BWT and has got good batsmen out, like pinning Keaton Jennings of Lancashire and England LBW first ball with a full-length ball that swung in as rehearsed. He has a run-up close to perfection, leaning forward and gathering speed, like Stuart Broad but more compact. Derbyshire, with Steve Kirby as their bowling coach, made sure they did not over-bowl him.

11. Dom Leech, 19, Yorkshire
The England Under-19 opening bowler in the last youth World Cup. The curiosity about Yorkshire cricket is that for all the outstanding players the county has produced, the fast bowlers have been relatively few apart from, of course, Fred Trueman. Leech from Middlesbrough has a long way to go, but he has the physical attributes required, tall and well-built with a good outswinger already, and he was assessed as having added nine mph to his pace in one year.