Ollie Westbury: County cricket should not let Shropshire’s George Hargrave slip the net

The left-handed opening batter has been in sensational form since the start of the 2023 cricket season.

The 24-year-old, who was born in the Black Country plays for Shrewsbury in the Birmingham League, but the majority of his success has arrived in minor counties cricket for Shropshire.

Hargrave now holds all three batting records for the county – across the three different formats – and a first-class county should take a gamble on him.

But is it that much of a risk?

Well, counties are looking to get players who are value for money in the modern game – who can be flexible and play all three formats.

That is something the former Warwickshire academy prospect does.

The 129 not out off 44 balls against Wales earlier this summer shows his ability to hit the ball out of the ground in T20 cricket.

But he also has the patience and application to score runs against the red ball. Last season’s Championship match at Dorset showed that as he backed up a century in the first innings with a double century in the second – single-handedly winning a game for his side.

Warwickshire all-rounder and vice-captain Ed Barnard, who plays club cricket with Hargrave at Shrewsbury, feels he has a big future in the game.

“Hargy is a pretty special player in my eyes,” Barnard said. “He is a seriously talented and very elegant left-handed batter. I have seen him play since he was young.

“I have always been aware of the talent he has but to what he has done in the last couple of years in terms of scoring runs, and big runs, which is shown by the records he now has at Shropshire.

“He plays spin and the short ball well so I think he has got a big future in the game.”

Some of those innings have included some of the cleanest hitting of a cricket ball I have seen – with it being impressively effortless when he deposits the ball over the ropes.

Hargrave’s game is the all-around package with him being equally skilful against the new ball, spin in the middle and having options to score 360 degrees around the wicket.

He has been trialling with Northants since the end of last summer and has made five half-centuries in that time, but even he would acknowledge it is a big, 150-plus, score he needs to really make the powers that be at any county take notice.

He is not averse to scoring big runs, after making a triple-century for Oxford University against Cambridge at The Parks in 2022.

As he strives to get into county cricket, he could almost do with saving the runs he keeps scoring for Shropshire on a Sunday for Northampton in midweek – as at this stage they are arguably the only ones that matter.

Rob Foster, who is chairman and former captain at Shrewsbury, doesn’t want Hargrave to end up being another talented player, clearly good enough for professional cricket, who slips through the net.

“Over the last five or six years he has turned into a phenomenal opening batsman for club and county,” Foster said.

“In all honesty, there are probably far worse players out there playing professional cricket than George – he could go and play at that level in my opinion and do really well.

“Someone somewhere might pick him up one day but until they do it is a huge bonus for us as a club.

“I put him firmly in the bracket alongside my brother (Ed Foster), Steve Leach and Ryan Bishop as batters we have had over the years that have been very special but not played as much as a professional as their talent has deserved.

“I have not been fortunate enough to witness his runs for Shropshire but every time I see the scores on a Sunday it always seems to say Hargy has got another hundred so he is doing really well.”

You would have to think incredibly hard to find an amateur cricketer you would want in your team ahead of Hargrave such has been his dominance in recent times.

Whichever county it is will be well rewarded as he truly is a special talent – but will any of them give him a chance? They certainly should in this writer’s opinion.