Continuing with questions to some of Cricket España’s most talented juniors, we go back to Madrid where the journey back in March.
Today we put the questions to young Christian Sullivan who attracted interest as a promising all rounder when CE saw him captaining a young and inexperienced Madrid Junior side in their first tour to Malaga, playing at the fabulous Cartama Oval which the youngsters described as the field of their dreams!
Christian showed great maturity is his captaining and was also a captain that led by example with tidy and accurate medium pace bowling and some hard hitting innings to help the Madrid juniors put in some challenging performances.
Thank you Christian to agreeing to take part. Questions submitted by Director of Junior Cricket Harmit “Rico” Phull ..
Rico : How old are you?
Christian : I am 14 years old
Rico : At what age did you start playing cricket, and where?
Christian : I started playing cricket in South Africa when I was 3 years old at my nursery school, North cliff Nursery. We played mini cricket sponsored by KFC
Rico : What is your first memory of cricket?
Christian : Playing at North cliff nursery school with my friends. At school I played cricket twice a week, and for my club and Saturday was match day.
Rico : Under normal circumstances, where and when do you practice playing cricket?
Christian : We play every Friday night at a school patio. When possible we go to nets on Sunday at the university where we can make use of the tennis court.
Rico : Do you see yourself as a batter or bowler?
Christian : I see myself as a bowler.
Rico : What, where and when do you think was your best performance to date?
Christian : My best performance to date was in the UK last year during the summer holidays when I attended a summer cricket camp in Tunbridge and played in a team. During that time I scored 63 runs and took 4 wickets in one match. But the performance I enjoyed most was in a batting partnership for Madrid Juniors at the Cartama Oval, Malaga. Batting with Dhruv (featured in one of Rico’s earlier interviews), we built a good partnership and won the game for our team.
Rico : Why do you like to play cricket?
Christian : For me cricket is a team sport so everyone has to contribute for the team to win. It’s not up to just one person and I have been inspired by the South African cricket team that always back each other up.
Rico : What is the best thing about cricket in Spain?
Christian : The cricket community, they are supportive and encouraging. Everyone plays and enjoys themselves.
Rico : What if anything is the most disappointing thing about cricket in Spain?
Christian : No cricket pitch in Madrid so we don’t get to have games or practice regularly.
Rico : What’s your most memorable cricket experience in Spain?
Christian : Our cricket tour to Malaga, where we got to play cricket on a real pitch with other teams. It was the first time in two years that I had set foot on a real cricket pitch since moving to Spain from South Africa.
Rico : As a player, where would you like to see yourself in 15 years time?
Christian : Well I would love to be playing professionally.
Rico : Who is your favourite player and why?
Christian : AB De Villiers because of his stellar performance in the 2015 CWC. It was inspiring to watch him thrash the West Indies.
Rico : If you could have dinner tonight with any famous person in the world, who would it be and why?
Christian : It would be with Allan Donald because I would love to learn how to bowl like a legend.
Rico : What effect has Covid19 had on your young lives, for better and worse?
Christian : It has made me less active and since I can only go out for a run now the past three months have really impacted on my personal fitness level.
Rico : Now that some of the lockdown rules have been relaxed, what have you been able to enjoy that you couldn’t before?
Christian : I can now go for walks or runs and I can’t wait to see my friends again.
Rico : If you had a message to all people your age during these difficult times, what would it be?
Christian : To not give up on your dreams, that this time may have made life hard , not being with your friends physically, staying in the same space for such a long time but now that we can get out do all those things you missed , really make the most of everyday freedom to move around play in the parks and laugh with friends is precious never forget that.
Thank you very much for these great responses, I look forward to greeting you at the Cartama Oval soon for another Junior T20 series. Keep working hard and I’m sure you can fulfil your dream of playing cricket as a profession, but your a talented young man, failing that you could fall back on your artistic talents, Ha Ha (thanks for the picture mum!!)
All the best
Stay safe
Rico
