Canterbury Under 19 Captain and New Zealand Under 19 representative Tom Latham is continuing to set the bar high while on exchange with the Durham County Cricket Club. He is setting it so high he is surpassing records that were set before he was even old enough to drive.
For his club, Gateshead Fell, Latham has consistently performed with the bat this season. He has under his belt seven fifties, 3 centuries and a high score of 122 with an average of 73.43. With 1028 runs in total he has now surpassed the club record for number of runs in a season which was set by M Bekker, the overseas professional from 2006. ‘The club said to me the other day they had no idea what to expect when they signed on to have me come over but they said they are really happy with what I have done and I have blown them away’ said Latham.
Having surpassed the Gateshead Fell club record Latham has now set his sights on beating the 2003 record for most runs in a season for the entire North East Premier League. He is currently just 57 runs short of the record set by C.J.Hewison from Northumberland.
Latham sees his stint overseas as one of the best things he has done in terms of his cricket. He has had the responsibility of winning games for his club side on his shoulders basically since he chalked up his first century and sees the extra pressure as a driver for his own performance. ‘The main thing for me is that this season has given me a good insight into how I can play having the added responsibility to perform and that is what I have to do when I get back home and into club cricket. I am focused on doing that as at home is where it counts and where the opportunities will come up.’
He has surpassed the club record by just one run and is 57 runs shy of the league record at this stage but with three games to go, two of which are played on the best wickets in the league and the third against the Durham Academy who Latham spends most of his time training with, he is expected to not only surpass the league record but also set the new club record so high it will be in place for a few years to come!
