Born On This Day: 9th October

Lewis McManus

Happy Birthday today to two very familiar, recent players. Wicketkeeper Lewis McManus was born in Poole, Dorset 26 years ago today, played for England under-19s, for his native Dorset, for Hampshire’s Academy and then regularly for Hampshire 2nd XI from 2013.

He made his first-class debut at Headingley in 2015 and was second highest scorer and in his next match against Durham at the The Ageas Bowl he scored 53*, batting for almost three hours to save the game. Initially, he covered for Adam Wheater when the latter was injured, but from mid-season 2016 he established himself as the first-choice wicketkeeper.

To the end of 2020, he has played in 44 first-class matches for Hampshire scoring one century (132* v Surrey) and seven half-centuries, with an average of 27.29 and has dismissed 106 batsmen (nine stumped). In 32 limited-overs matches he averages just above 20, with a best of 47, and in T20 has one half-century. In all ‘white ball’ cricket, 17 of his 56 victims have been stumped, typically in the modern game a higher proportion (30%) than in first-class cricket (10%).

Rilee Rossouw

Left-hand batsman Rilee Rossouw was due to re-join Hampshire this season as a ‘white ball’ player, but was one of the players affected by COVID-19.

He was born on this day in 1989 and played for South Africa in the two ‘white ball’ formats before joining Hampshire in 2017, on a three-year Kolpak contract.

In his second Championship match, carrying an injury, he played a superb innings of 99 v Middlesex at the The Ageas Bowl, and at Taunton an even more astonishing limited-overs innings of 156.

Over his three years with Hampshire he predominantly made his main impact in white ball games and will always be remembered for his century in the 2018 Final v Kent Spitfires which brought him a winner’s medal and another as Man-of-the-Match.

He had a superb record in the longer white ball games for the county with almost 1,000 runs at just under 50, while in 35 T20 matches there were three half-centuries. In 29 first-class matches he averaged 30 for Hampshire with one century.