Clive Ellis: Delight for Ramprakash (23 Sep 1997)

Tuesday 23 September 1997

Delight for Ramprakash

By Clive Ellis

MARK Ramprakash was doing his best to look composed at Lord`s yesterday as he received a cheque for -L10,000. Officially it was the reward for finishing as top batsman in the Whyte & Mackay rankings for the second time in three years, but it must have seemed more like a generous response to the news that Ramprakash`s wife had given birth to their first child just hours before.

One celebration is merging into another for Steve James, who picked up a total of -L11,000 - -L5,000 as third-placed batsman and -L6,000 as Cricketer of the Year, the same honour bestowed on him by his fellow players last week.

On Saturday, James made the winning hit at Taunton as Glamorgan won the County Championship for the first time since 1969. Tonight, the protracted party moves on to the county`s player-of-the-year dinner. On Friday he gets married.

The only mildly discordant notes for James in a season of choral harmony were his indifferent form in Glamorgan`s final four championship games - though he still racked up seven centuries in the course of their exuberant campaign - and omission from the England tour party to the West Indies.

"I was disappointed I didn`t get picked for the main tour," he said, "but I am still delighted to be picked for the A tour. It`s a step on the ladder and if I manage to impress Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting it won`t do me any harm."

Andrew Caddick, of Somerset, won the bowling award and admitted that his self-belief had been reinforced in a season in which he finally appeared to have made an England place his own.

"I came out of the Ashes series thinking: `I don`t need to be worried about players like Steve Waugh - I can get him out`. From feeling like a small fish in a big pool, you suddenly realise you`re in the same league."

Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/)