Ripon-born John Inglis, one of Yorkshire's most promising young opening batsmen, is determined to put a winter of discontent behind him and develop his budding career.
Inglis, 19, was shortlisted for the England Under-19s tour of New Zealand which has just begun, but shortly before Christmas he was told by manager Mike Gatting that he was not the final party.
It was a crushing blow for Inglis, who had attended all the pre-tour indoor sessions with the Under-19s at Trent Bridge and Lilleshall and had been led to believe that he would be in the final squad.
Being in the initial squad he turned down a scholarship which would have taken him to play for Kuils River Club in Cape Town this winter.
Inglis was the first winner of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club Supporters' Association John Featherstone Scholarship, which went instead to Gary Fellows who is playing club cricket in Australia.
Now Inglis has missed out on both a winter's engagement in South Africa and an England Under 19s tour of New Zealand.
"To say I am disappointed is putting it mildly," said Inglis, who last season hit 311 runs in nine championship appearances for
Yorkshire Seconds and was their leading scorer with 178 runs in the AON Trophy.
"I was given to believe I would definitely make the tour and that is why I stayed at home instead of going to South Africa.
"I even gave up a labouring job so that I could attend all the practice sessions but I have not been paid anything by England.
"They said the reason I was not going to New Zealand was because I was not moving my feet as well as I should in the nets, but I don't
think that is a good enough excuse.
"It is too late to go away now, which means I have wasted a winter, but there is no point in brooding. I am determined to prove to them this summer that they have made a big mistake.
"I am looking forward to doing even better with Yorkshire Seconds and to captaining the Academy side in weekend matches.
"I will also be making every effort to win my first team debut. If a batting place comes up then I will be fighting hard to fill it."Yorkshire's only representative on the Under-19s tour is Doncaster-born off-spinner and batsman Richard Dawson, a former England Under-17s and Under-18s captain.
West Indies captain Brian Lara said after the fifth and final Test defeat by South Africa which condemned the tourists to a 5-0 whitewash in the series that while he had the support of the players there were deep-rooted problems.
South Africa won by 351 runs to complete only the seventh whitewash in Test history and the first for West Indies.
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