The Year 11 King’s pupil, who also plays for Macclesfield CC, earned his first call up to the national U19s in the summer, against Scotland and Ireland in a tri-series in which England completed a clean sweep. Now he will spend some time over the winter in the southern hemisphere playing on faster wickets with more bounce.
Joe had a stellar season for Lancashire Academy and The North, his 139* (in just 79 balls) batting for the North U18s against the Midlands going a long way to securing his England selection. He has been referenced by Michael Vaughan on Test Match Special as 'a young man to watch'. Joe hopes to be part of the young generation of England stars which includes Vaughan's son Archie, now playing for Somerset and Rocky Flintoff, son of iconic all-rounder Andrew (Freddy) Flintoff, now playing for Lancashire. Both Rocky and Archie will also be on the tour to South Africa.
Joe is incredibly modest about his prospects: "I just want to play at as high a level as possible, take one step at a time and do my best wherever I play."
"It has been a big step up, obviously, from school cricket to playing for Lancashire Twos, but I enjoy the challenges and I am looking forward to touring with England under-19s, where I can continue my cricketing education."
"I've always had great coaching from my school and club, but it's been good to work with the North's, Lancashire's and England's coaches and to learn more about physical training regimes and diet."
King's Head of Academic PE, Peter Langley, who coaches their first XI alongside former county cricketer A.J Harris, said: "Joe is powerful and highly entertaining and plays with an attacking intent which suits the modern 'Bazball' era.
"Teams do not know where to bowl at him. He hits the ball through a 360-degree wagon wheel, with his ramp, scoop shots and reverse sweep among his favourites. That said, I've not seen him get over-excited and those shots are always well practiced and executed."
Joe certainly has a sporting pedigree: father Steve, captained Macclesfield and is Head of Cricket at King’s, and his uncle Peter, played for Sussex and is the current Nottinghamshire coach, after two spells coaching England. Grandfather Alan McInnes played Rugby Union for Sale and League for Salford, before coaching the all-conquering Wigan side of the mid-eighties. Joe first picked up a bat aged just two and remembers playing "in the kitchen, in the lounge, in the garden, anywhere dad would throw the ball at me."
He would also accompany his dad, who was then King's First XI coach, at King's games, with the first teamers taking him under their wing, throwing a ball to him on the boundary edge and even up and down the length of the old pavilion dressing room, at King’s Cumberland Street site.
Ian Wilson, who has been involved in King's cricket since 1968 and after whom the new front field at King’s 80-acre Alderley Road campus is named, said: "'As well as being a really nice and incredibly modest lad, Joe is an exceptionally talented cricketer, with the ability to see the ball from the bowler's arm as early as any of the many good cricketers who I have seen over the years. He is in fact an outstanding all-round sportsman, not just in cricket, and we all look forward to seeing his future success."
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