Highland allrounder Jonathan Crabtree won’t forget the time when, as a teenager, he played against Australian Test bowler Shane Warne.
Now the 35-year-old is focused on winning the north league title for the Inverness club.
When he was 18, in July 1991, Crabtree bowled against Warne in a Lancashire League match. Crabtree was playing for Nelson and Warne was the professional at Accrington Cricket Club. After coming through the ranks with Nelson, Crabtree drifted away from cricket while attending Sheffield Hallam University.
The left-arm fast bowler began playing again after moving north, spending six years at Ross County before moving to Highland two years ago.
Highland play Forres St Lawrence in Moray tomorrow aiming to extend their unbeaten league record to five games and Crabtree said: “We have had a good start to the season. We have quite a few new players this year which has helped us.
“We play RAF Lossiemouth in two weeks and we are the only undefeated teams left in the league.
“I don’t think there is any pressure on us at all as everyone is raving about RAF Lossiemouth and not giving us a chance. I am fine with being an underdog.
“I learned my cricket in the Lancashire League playing with professionals when I was down south and it was great to be involved in a league which had international players of the calibre of Warne, Paul Reiffel, Joe Scuderi, Colin Miller, Roger Harper and Phil Simmons.
“I had stopped playing for three years before joining Ross County for six years and now Highland.”
Crabtree, who is a business development manager for Rok civil engineering in Inverness, hit 164 in last week’s League Cup victory against Fort William.
Unbeaten RAF Lossiemouth will be aiming to extend their winning streak to five league games when they host Kinloss.
Nairn County play Northern Counties at home and Buckie travel to Fort William. Elgin take on Fochabers in Moray and Ross County travel to play Huntly.