Jane Cable speaks with James Tomlinson after Hampshire beat Yorkshire on Day 3 of their LVCC match at The Rose Bowl on the 8th August.

Leading Hampshire off the field after taking his 51st First Class wicket of the season, James Tomlinson looked almost embarrassed by all the fuss. A few hours later, with the emphatic win against Yorkshire firmly in the bag, he still looked a little nonplussed – and quite frankly uncomfortable when I told him that he’d made my day.

So had he actually started the season with the expectation of reaching fifty wickets? Far from it. “I had thought thirty or forty,” he told me. “I had to be realistic. So to get 51 already is obviously fantastic. I’m just really happy. I thought I might go through a bit of a quiet patch during the season, but it hasn’t happened.

“I was really pleased with this pitch. It had lots of bounce in it – it was one of the sand based ones, I think. It was a big call for Yorkshire to bat first, and it was so muggy the ball did swing, and that’s the key for me to get lots of wickets. Dimi had bowled really tightly like he always does, then I came on and I was really pleased to get off to a good start.

“If it swings early in the game batsmen think it’s always swinging – and today it didn’t. The Pavilion End seemed to have a lot more bounce – especially the ball I got Rudolph with – and it was straight. I just got a really good rhythm – I’d felt it all game. If it doesn’t swing – happy days, and if it does – even happier days.” James laughs, maybe not even aware he is sounding a little punch drunk. I decide not to count the number of times he’s said ‘happy’, but it’s lovely to hear.

“The Somerset game when I got the 8 for just turned things for me. It made me realise that I can do it. I’ve worked really hard, trying to hit the right lengths, going for less runs and putting more pressure on the batsmen. But Arundel, Canterbury and here, it has swung, and I’ve managed to get 20 wickets in the last three games.”

So was the 5 for at The Rose Bowl special? “I’ve never got one at home before” James admitted. “I do struggle here sometimes – it’s quite open and blustery, not really a swinging ground, and it’s been quite slow. But this wicket had a lot of bounce and I really enjoyed bowling on it.”

When James and I talked after the early season game at Headingley he’d spoken about the importance of not being overawed by the reputation of the batsman at the other end. But even so, there must have been some dismissals that gave him more pleasure than others. “I’ve got quite a few big guns out, actually. I suppose in the Somerset game, Trescothick – and getting Flintoff here. My brother texted me the names of all the people I’ve got out and it was quite funny!”

So why does James think the improvement has come this year? “I’ve played well in the seconds before, but you need a bit of luck and timing, and I’ve had some with James Bruce and Warney going. Warney took up a lot of the overs and wickets himself, and I’ve come in to do what Brucey was doing. Plus we’ve had some injuries. But it’s all part of being a squad; I keep saying to Balcs and Griff they’re going to get their chance, and they will do if they keep battling away. On the other hand, if we’d had a stronger squad this year then perhaps I wouldn’t have played so many games.”

This last comment is typical of Tomlinson’s modesty. On the one hand he is completely confident in his bowling ability, but on the other seems to find it hard to grasp just how good he is. Perhaps it comes down to a commendable focus on his own game, rather than being concerned with what other people are doing; while he was well aware of his own wicket count, he was completely oblivious to Kabir Ali reaching the 50 wicket landmark first the week before.

His is similarly circumspect about his ambitions for the future. “If you get enough wickets, you get noticed. There’s no point rushing in and getting ahead of yourself, but my aim is to get in the Performance Squad. I’m a big believer in proving yourself; one of the things I’m so pleased about this year is that I’ve proved to my teammates and other people that I can actually bowl.”

Tomlinson bowling against Yorkshire (Photo - Barry  Zee)

Team congratulate Tomlinson on taking his 50th wicket (Photo - Barry Zee)

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