By Marcus Uhe
There would be very few athletes, let alone cricketers, that have represented their country alongside their own father, and even fewer that have played in front of a musical icon like Mick Jagger.
Harrison Carlyon, however, has done both.
Cranbourne’s new captain-coach was excused from school as a 15-year-old to represent his native Jersey in Los Angeles in 2016 as part of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) World Cricket League Division Four finals.
With Jagger watching on, Carlyon became the youngest player to ever make his debut for the Island, and later in the tournament took the field alongside his father and Jersey cricketing royalty, Tony.
Already with the team as Team Manager, Tony was drawn out of retirement to play alongside Carlyon after injuries decimated the squad, despite the 31-year age gap between the two.
“I always look back on that, especially with it being my first tournament and thinking ‘that was pretty sweet,’” Cranbourne’s captain-coach said.
“He (knew) my game better than anyone else because he’s thrown probably millions of cricket balls at me over the years.
“To have him there and to be able to bounce ideas off him and say ‘what do you think?’ or he might spot something and say ‘maybe try this next game,’ that was really helpful and I think also in terms of me being really young at the time, it helped me integrate into the team quite well.”
Tony is enjoying retirement on the Island now, having further ensconced himself into Jersey cricketing folklore by ushering his son into the side, a key pillar in Jersey’s climb up the international realm and likely a future leader.
Cricket is becoming increasingly popular in the small European nation that Carlyon calls home, ranked 27th in the ICC’s T20 International rankings and one of the few national sporting teams to consistently play at international level, but for him, it’s been a way of life ever since he could walk.
His Father and uncle, who both represented Jersey in the mid-2000s, had him hitting balls and perfecting his stroke play at an early age that saw him soar through the ranks of school team selections and later for his nation.
Where the previous generation of his family were self-taught, scurrying off after school to the nearby cricket oval with mates to occupy themselves on sunny afternoons, Carlyon has always had Tony’s watchful eye over him, right back to developing the critical muscle memory.
“I remember seeing pictures of myself with my old man’s pads on in the garden when I was three-years-old, swinging a cricket bat around,” Carlyon recalled.
“I started hitting balls in the back garden and then my dad threw me so many cricket balls after school.
“We’d go to the nets, I’d bat for an hour and a half, I’d do that maybe four times a week, five if I was lucky, and then I played on the weekend.
“I was doing so much cricket that it became a way of life and quite natural to me.”
Those formative years of gentle throwdowns turned Carlyon into a hard-hitting batter at the top of the order whose off-spin is steadily improving, and even a handy golfer, currently playing off a scratch handicap.
Having spent time in Sussex’s development squad as a teenager, Carlyon is now a key member of both Jersey’s current and future ambitions as it aims to reclaim One Day International status in the upcoming ICC cycle.
His international career to date has taken him to all corners of the world, from Uganda to Singapore, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and the previously mentioned United States of America, making Cranbourne and the cut and thrust of the DDCA the natural next step.
Seeing the Rolling Stones frontman Walking The Dog at Casey Fields is not something on anyone’s bingo card, but Carlyon isn’t phased, relishing his early experiences in his second summer in Australia.
Landing at Cranbourne through the Cricketer Exchange program and with a positive recommendation on the Dandenong District Cricket Association (DDCA) from former Narre South all-rounder and Jersey countryman Jonty Jenner, team success and the development of both his new teammates and his own game are the key things on the 23-year-old’s mind as he assumes dual leadership roles at the Eagles.
“I want to develop different areas of my game; scoring all around the ground and stuff like that,” he said.
“For me, it’s about keeping things ticking over (during) this English winter, and keep things ticking over going into next English summer, where I’ve got quite a few World Cup qualifiers and tournaments back in Jersey and other places.
“As a club, I want us to be as successful as we can this year.
“In my mind, that means winning grand finals and winning flags.
“We’re not going to look that far ahead, but I want us to take it one game at a time, one ball at a time, and play our best cricket.
“I want to see the guys improve as much as they can really and become better cricketers.
“To be able to leave the club in a stronger position than when I came here would be ideal for me.”
His first contest in his new colours, against St Mary’s, saw him mark his arrival in Australia with a big-hitting 73 off 58 deliveries.
For Jersey, he has only played white-ball cricket, but is eyeing the longer format of the game as a new experience and opportunity to further his development, with seldom opportunities to occupy the crease outside of his tenure at Sussex.
“I like the sound of it; it’s a long time and a long day,” he said.
“With the way I bat, I could bat all day and I feel like we’d score a few runs, but for me it would be about trying to be in there for the day and get the boys up to a good total.
“I have a tendency to want to be naturally aggressive and want to put the pressure back on the bowlers, but it’s not essential to me.
“That’s my natural tendency but I’m quite happy to sit in there and instead of making 73 off 58, I’m quite happy to make 73 off 100.
“I prefer to be more aggressive but I’m quite happy to play to the situation.”
