Foxes Make It A Christmas To Remember For Young Aussie Fan

A young Foxes fan who flew more than 10,000 miles to spend Christmas with his family in Leicester was given a special early present last week, as he enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of Leicestershire’s winter training.

Jack Whitehead, 9, who travelled with mum Haley Bowman from Australian city Ballarat, was given an access all areas tour by LCCC Director of Cricket, Claude Henderson, after the pair were invited down by CEO Sean Jarvis following a visit earlier in the week.

On his return to Uptonsteel County Ground, Jack, sporting a retro LCCC County Championship jumper and 2022 T20 shirt, was introduced to the squad, as they put in the hard yards in the Mike Turner Cricket Centre.

With a front row seat to an indoor nets session, Jack was greeted by coaches James Taylor and Dips Patel, who failed to convince the youngster to switch his allegiances from Australia to England ahead of this summer’s Ashes series.

He then caught up with captain Lewis Hill and batsman Rishi Patel to talk all things cricket, before making his way to the gym, where he shared tips with fellow left-arm fast bowler, and recent Academy graduate, Josh Hull.

Jack, who was born in Leicester but moved to Australia at just five weeks old, was also presented with a signed shirt from the Foxes’ Royal London Cup campaign at the end of his tour.

Despite the challenging time differences, the nine-year-old is a loyal late night and early morning viewer of the Club’s live streams, setting alarms for unsociable hours to ensure he can follow the Foxes’ progress across all three formats.

Back home, the schoolboy supports the Melbourne Renegades, witnessing their maiden Big Bash title at the MCG in 2019, while he was also in the stadium for this year’s third Ashes Test and England’s T20 World Cup final victory over Pakistan in November.

Connections to the county are deep-rooted in Jack’s family. Mum, Haley, was born and bred in Countesthorpe, his grandparents owned a newsagent on Saffron Lane during the David Gower era, and his father was once welcomed into the changing rooms at Grace Road during a team talk by former Head Coach, and fellow Aussie, Andrew McDonald.

Speaking about the day, Jack’s mum Haley said: "Jack absolutely loves his cricket and was so excited to visit Grace Road and meet everyone.

“Everyone was so welcoming and generous with their time to make it a special memory. It will be an experience he will always remember.”

Director of Cricket, Claude Henderson, said: “It was a privilege to welcome Jack and his family to LCCC. Left-arm fast bowlers are like gold dust, so I have assured Jack there will be a contract waiting for him when he turns 18.”