Stuart Burrows only played briefly for Cumberland in Minor Counties cricket but he is especially proud of his county cricketing heritage.
There’s a photograph in the Ambleside pavilion of Stuart with his father, grandfather and great-grandfather – four generations of the Burrows family – who played for the club.
The 42-year-old is one of two ex-Cumberland players – Richard Waite is the other – who have been selected to play for England Over 40s against Wales Over 40s next week in the first international T20 match between the two sides.
Chatting to Cumbria Crack this week, Stuart explained that his family originated from Ambleside and his grandfather’s house was at Greenbank in the picturesque Lake District town.
He recalls: “My father was from Ambleside but moved to the Midlands where I was born but we used to go back there and I got to know the place well.
“When I started playing cricket in Staffordshire I represented the county but didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. I think my father must have known someone up there in Cumberland cricket because I got invited to play for the county.
“I only played three times but work commitments at the time prevented me from playing more. I know Gary Pratt was in the team and Marcus Sharp was the captain.
“I’ve played with Tamworth in the Birmingham and District League for a number of years and was professional for 15 years. I was an all rounder in those days but I’m just a batsman now and still playing for the second team.”
Stuart is very proud of his family’s long association with the Ambleside club – highlighted by that picture on the pavilion wall.
But he also features in another famous picture which is on display at Lord’s no less – a brilliant action shot which amateur photographer Nigel Parker snapped back in 2018.
It’s the moment Tamworth bowler Stuart clings on to a return catch from Bromsgrove’s Ashley Newfield whilst umpire Nic Cooper takes evasive action in a Birmingham & District Premier Cricket League match
Although it didn’t win the award it was shortlisted in the Wisden-MCC Cricket Photograph of the Year 2018 competition and subsequently went on display at the Lord’s museum.
Stuart had made his Cumberland debut ten years earlier in the Minor Counties Championship where his two innings produced only 12 runs.
He went on to play two games in the MCCA Trophy, scoring 46 runs with a top score of 25, and he claimed 1/20 in his only bowling spell for the county.
The call-up for England A Over-40s three weeks ago was postponed because of rain and is looking forward to the game next week against Wales.
“I don’t know Richard Waite but now I know his Cumbrian connection I will make a point of chatting to him about it,” he says.
Stockton-on-Tees born Waite, who was 44 last week, is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm off breaks and first appeared on the county scene with the Durham Cricket Board in 2001 and was in their side against Glamorgan in the 2003 Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy.
In 2004, he joined Cumberland and represented the county in 12 Championship matches, the last of which came against Bedfordshire in 2006. He batted 22 times with a top score of 51 and finished with a batting average of 16.18.
He took five catches in those games and his spin bowling earned 15 wickets, but quite costly, conceding 754 runs (avge 50.26) and a best bowling of 3-47.
He also played in two MCCA Trophy matches, batting in both but only scoring 13 runs. He finished his bowling stints at that format with 0-34.
For the 2010 season, Waite represented Northumberland, playing two Minor Counties Championship matches and also appearing in the MCCA Trophy competition. He is currently part of the coaching team for Hong Kong Ladies Cricket Team.
He had played most of his club cricket for Stockton but also appeared a few times for Kendal in the Northern League
They join five other Minor Counties cricketers Sean Park (Cambridgeshire), Richard Kaufman (Oxfordshire and Bedfordshire), Tom Rash, Simon Guy (both Suffolk) and George Brooksbank (Hertfordshire) in the England Over 40s side.
