In an exciting moment for the next generation of English cricket, Freddie Flintoff’s son Rocky surpassed his first half-century for the local club this week.
Rocky, still just 16 years old, only made his senior debut on 28 July to become Lancashire‘s youngest-ever first-team cricketer and now, less than a fortnight later, he has already hit well over a half-century.
In truth, he was closer to making it a full century, topping out at nearly 90 and the milestone has already done more than enough to get cricket fans all over the country excited.
Lancashire did ultimately go on to lose to Middlesex by five wickets in what was their sixth One-Day Cup group defeat, but the son of the county and national team legend was the real story.
Rocky Flintoff 88 (115)
Flintoff, 16, has his first half-century for Lancashire.
Reacting online, social media was awash with pure hype over the teenager and understandably so, with The Cricketer simply sharing the video along with the caption: “just 16 years of age…”
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One fan wrote, “This Rocky Flintoff is only 16 and my word he is a joy to watch. So excited to watch his future unfold”, while another added, “Looks one hell of a player, lovely to see.”
The youngster reached his maiden half-century on his Emirates Old Trafford after 77 balls, smacking a quadruple of fours and a six on his way there.
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He exited with his final tally of 88 from 115 and has already impressed with his batting record throughout the youth ranks and under 19s in particular earlier this year.
Naturally, people have been drawing similarities between Rocky and Flintoff senior, with plenty already having done so prior to this week.
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Andrew Flintoff and his 16-year-old son, Rocky, share a near identical batting technique 🤯
As alluded to, Rocky Flintoff had already hit two full centuries prior to turning pro: one for England U19s in a youth Test against Sri Lanka and another for Lancashire’s second XI.
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He could have made it a full 100 this time too had he two sixes from the final two balls of the innings but was ultimately caught out by Josh de Caires – who, as it happens, is also the son of another former Lancs and England captain, Michael Atherton.
Nevertheless, Rocky Flintoff is already looking like one to watch and if he turns out to be even half the player his father was then the future of the national team is seemingly in very good hands.
Meanwhile, dad Freddie has spoken out about the “anxiety, nightmares, and flashbacks” he has suffered following his crash on the set of Top Gear in December 2022 as part of a new BBC programme.
Tickets go live as opening date is announced for Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience
Emily Sergeant
Tickets to visit Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience have officially gone live ahead of the grand opening.
Set to open in the heart of the £300m Medlock Square entertainment district at Manchester’s Etihad Campus next month, the Manchester City Museum Experience will be spread across 10 distinctive spaces – with visitors invited to take a trip down memory lane with nostalgic environments from throughout the club’s history.
Fans will also be able to take part in interactive media experiences, like posing with all 48 major trophies won by the club’s first teams or trying their hand at football punditry.
The experience will combine the latest immersive technology with physical memorabilia drawn from across the club’s history to do this.
Hidden details and surprising ‘did you know’ facts are set to be embedded across the experience, so that even the most devoted Man City fans will have the chance to discover something new about the club they love.
By combining interactive environments, technology, and authentic artefacts, the experience is aiming to appeal to a wide audience – from lifelong Manchester City supporters, to families and those with a broader interest in football, culture, and the city of Manchester.
“The Museum Experience has been designed as a destination that goes beyond just the pitch,” commented Jeremy Maxton, who is the Director of Visitor Attractions at Manchester City Football Club.
Manchester City releases CGIs and important details of its new ‘immersive’ museum / Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
“Whether you’re a lifelong supporter, visiting Manchester for a weekend, or simply looking for a unique day out, we’ve created an experience that offers something for everyone.
“From the recreated environments and original memorabilia to the interactive elements, there are different ways into the Club’s history throughout the Museum.
“We’ve also built in space for new stories to be added over time, so the experience can continue to evolve. It’s been a huge project to bring together and we’re looking forward to people seeing it for themselves later this year.”
The Manchester City Museum Experience officially opens on 14 December, and you can now book tickets to visit from that date here.
Featured Image – Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Danny Jones -
9th August 2024 
