When Greg Smith, the Old Oundelian and star of Oundle Cricket Club, left school two years ago, he had a greater chance than most of entering into the professional world of cricket.

After making a huge impact as the captain of Oundle School’s 1st XI and making history with four consecutive centuries within two weeks, Smith was in the perfect position to capitalise on his talent and untapped potential.

With the foundations of his career already in place from his days in the Leicestershire CCC youth academy, Smith was quickly offered a contract with the club. This was followed up by a promotion to the U19 team where he made regular successful appearances.

Yet it was not until last summer that the Oundle Batsman really cashed in. After an injury in the England U19 squad, Greg received a late call up on the eve of the first test to play against the corresponding age group from New Zealand in the youth test series. Responding to this luck of chance, Greg proved he ought to be a permanent fixture in the team by hitting well over a century, amassing 157 runs before being caught by kiwi pace bowler, Greg Morgan. This sterling effort saw Greg not only reach a remarkable tally for his debut, but also break the record of largest ever U19 partnership. Greg, although claiming the majority of the runs, now shares this title with fellow batsman Daniel Redfern of Derbyshire.

There are no doubts about the 19 year old’s future after this performance. A week later the recently appointed Leicestershire 1st team player was back for the second test. In the encounter versus New Zealand, Greg achieved yet another ton after a three hour twenty minute spell at the wicket. This solid performance was the turning point of the team’s game, aiding their recovery. Even though this eventually was not enough to win the second test, it did show the true promise of this young individual’s potential to play the game at an international level.