My School Sport: Phil Tufnell (31 Dec 1997)

31 December 1997

My School Sport: Phil Tufnell

Interview: Gareth A Davies

Phil Tufnell, the Middlesex and England cricketer, regrets not having found the right balance between sport and Latin homework

Where did you go to school? Highgate School in north London.

Can you remember the school motto? Altiora In Votis (higher things can be achieved through prayer).

Did you enjoy your schooldays? Not when I was there. But when you look back at your schooldays, they do seem much more enjoyable. I loved sport, games and PE, and the facilities at the school were very good.

What sports did you play? Mainly football, fives, swimming and cricket. I played in the first pair in the public schools tournament up at Eton, and always enjoyed what is a brilliant game played by a handful of people worldwide. I think being slightly ambidextrous helped. I also played a lot of football for the school, and outside. I used to play for Enfield Rangers with Gus Caesar and Des Walker.

How did your cricket progress? I started off as a quick bowler, bowling down the hill from the pavilion on the sloping square at Highgate. I was actually quite quick at a young age. There were some very good masters at Highgate, who were very encouraging, and they put me forward for a colts trial at Middlesex. The change came when I was playing for Middlesex Under-12s. I used to open the bowling and the batting, and county coaches Jack Robertson and Gordon Jenkins, explaining that there were a few quick bowlers knocking around, suggested that I might try left-arm spin. They showed me how to do it, and boom, there it went, the first one span a little bit, and I think I might have got someone out. Good fun, I thought.

What I've never been able to work out, though, was what happened to my batting. I was the youngest person ever to get my colours at Highgate - for my batting. I batted three hours to save a match against one of our biggest rivals. There's still time yet.

Did sport interfere with your schoolwork? I would say that it did, in as much as I wanted to be playing sport more than sitting in a classroom doing ABCs and trigonometry. Finding the balance between wanting to succeed at sport and at the same time having Latin homework to do is a very difficult one. I don't think I found the balance.

What advice would you give to schoolchildren wishing to pursue a career in sport. Make sure you do your homework. But I'd add, never underestimate yourself if you are talented. Playing for your team, county or country is never a million miles away. If your dream is to play for Manchester United, or England or whoever, never give it up. Just keep working hard. And keep up your studies.

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