Keeping up with the Jones
Malachi Jones has enjoyed a summer of cricket that some can only dream of.
Earlier this season he became one of the youngest skippers to lead a club to a major domestic title.
Following in the footsteps of father Olin, Jones captained Southampton Rangers ? in the absence of Janeiro Tucker ? to the Premier Division Two Day League championship in May to set the tone for even bigger and better things to come.
Two months later in July, Jones was chosen as vice captain of Bermuda?s Under 19 national squad that competed at the Sir Gary Sobers Tournament in Barbados.
Jones and his fellow team-mates competed well in the annual tournament and improved on the previous year?s performance by finishing runner?s up in their group.
Then came Cup Match which saw a 17-year-old Jones debut for challengers Somerset at Somerset Cricket Club.
And just when it seemed Jones? summer of cricket couldn?t get any better, it did with a call to senior national duty and a tour of Toronto.
?It?s just been awesome,? was the way the teenage cricketer described the events of the past five months.
?Everything has just gone my way and I?ve had a great summer. The only goal I set for myself at the beginning of the season was to improve on my performances from the previous year.?
Jones received more than he bargained for.
?Everything else just fell into place,? he added.
Jones shone brightly with bat and ball during his Cup Match earlier this month.
?It was an experience of a lifetime to play in the classic at such a young age,? Jones said. ?And the fact we (Somerset) lost the match didn?t really bother me at all. It was just a privilege to be chosen and to actually play.?
The budding allrounder then debuted in a Bermuda jersey at the Maple Leaf CC ground in King City earlier this week against Argentina. Jones did not get to bat as his team posted a massive 371 for 3 in 50 overs. He did, however, claim a first international wicket at the senior level on his debut.
Jones then scored a brisk 23 of 20 balls in Bermuda?s 93-run win over Cayman Islands to perhaps stake a claim for a spot in the Island?s team that could wrap up the Americas Championship with a win over USA today at King City.
?I have long been involved in the programme (senior national team). Therefore I wasn?t totally shocked when I got selected,? Jones said.
The teenager said he has gained valuable experience in Toronto, experience he intends to put to good use in the near future.
?It?s been a learning experience for me playing at a whole different level,? Jones said. ?I feel it?s less pressure out here and your opponents really don?t know what to expect from you.
?I realise I?m playing at a higher lever out here but for me the pressure feels less and I?m enjoying my cricket.?
Even at a tender age, many predict Jones will one day captain Southampton Rangers like his father Olin, and possibly Somerset in Cup Match given he has strong ties through his mother Nicole in the West End.
But for the time being, Jones intends to continue training with the senior national squad and ?have an occasional kick? for club side PHC Zebras during the upcoming football season in order to keep himself in good physical shape.