Adam Shantry, the local lad now an established figure on the first class cricket circuit, has signed a two year extension to his Glamorgan contract ahead of a season which promises much for the ex-Perkins left-arm fast bowler.
The former Priory School and Shrewsbury VI Form College student admitted he was pleased to have resolved his immediate career plans and was relishing the added responsibility of being a senior figure in the Welsh club’s attack.
There’s also the considerable matter of locking horns with younger brother Jack for the first time on the professional stage for Adam to look forward to when Glamorgan take on Worcestershire in an early season friendly at Cardiff’s Swalec Stadium.
The duo could also come face to face when their clubs contest a four-day County Championship second division fixture at New Road starting on August 27.
“I’m really proud of what Jack’s done,” said Shantry. “I’ve spoken to him about the friendly on May 3 and he says he definitely wants to get me out - I suppose it’s the older brother syndrome!
“Eleven or 12 years ago, we were playing cricket together on the drive at home in Shrewsbury, pretending to be first class cricketers when I would be Worcestershire and Jack was Yorkshire.
“It’s great how it’s turned out and it shows that anybody can go on and play sport professionally if they want it bad enough.
“Who knows, there could be two young lads in Harlescott Grange playing against each other now, who could go on and do the same.”
Shantry, who returned home to Shrewsbury for Christmas, has certainly come a long way from those early days and, after spells with Northants and Warwickshire where he didn’t play as much first team cricket as he would have liked, his fortunes have really picked up since he joined Glamorgan in 2008.
He’s become a regular and consistent wicket taker with 57 first class wickets in his first two seasons with the club and also struck his maiden first class ton with the bat against Leicestershire at Colwyn Bay last summer.
“I didn’t sign the new contract straight away when I was offered it as there were a couple of things I wanted to check out,” said Barry-based Shantry. “I was disappointed to be left out a couple of times last season as I was the seamer at the top of the averages yet I still got left out after just one poor game.
“I also didn’t play as much one-day cricket as I would have liked.
“But I had a couple of meetings with Matthew Maynard, the director of cricket, and also spoke to the chairman, and received assurances that they now see me as a genuine bowling all rounder.
“In the end, despite interest from other counties, I was happy to sign and all I’ve ever really wanted to do was get settled at one county and I like it at Glamorgan. We’ve got a great set of players and it’s a fantastic place to play.
“Hopefully I’ll get capped by the club in the early part of next season and hopefully I can stay down here for seven or eight years.”
Shantry, who admits his ultimate ambition is earning England recognition at some level, now wants to hit the ground running and take as many wickets as he can to preserve his impressive statistics which read 80 first class victims at 23.52 apiece.
“There’s probably only two or three others in the county game with a lower average than that,” he said. “I’ve just got to put the stats in the record books and do as well as I can.
“I’m training hard and doing plenty of swimming, running and I’ve also taken up boxing as it’s brilliant for fitness and also toughens you up mentally.”
By Stuart Dunn
