COVERED 2024 Spring

23 @TRENTBRIDGE CALVIN HARRISON When Harrison’s leg-breaks accounted for three of the five Nottinghamshire second-innings wickets to fall, his future county Head Coach was quick to strike up a conversation. “I spoke to Pete [Moores] after the game about my interest in trialing, and then the General [Paul Franks] rang me a couple of weeks later,” he recalls. “He said ‘we’ve got a space in the twos [Second XI] tomorrow against Leicester, can you get yourself up here?’ “I ended up taking five in that game – and I’m very grateful for the opportunity and the environment I walked into. “It was easy to feel welcomed, and Franksie understood how difficult it could be to come into a side worrying about performances and wondering if you’ll get another chance. “He was very clear that I’d get a run of games over six weeks or so to get comfortable, so I didn’t have to worry about each game.That gave me the freedom I needed.” Soon after, with Dan Christian receiv- ing a surprise recall to the Australia side, the Outlaws captain’s departing gift was to recommend that Harrison received his break in the Blast. Again, events escalated quickly. “Mick [Newell] had pulled me over in a training session to let me know he wanted to give me a deal for the remainder of the summer,” he says. “Then I was walking aroundTesco when I got a call from Mull [Steven Mullaney] saying ‘just to let you know, you’re going to play tomorrow.’ “I’m not great at remembering stats and particular games, but I remember that call very clearly.” It was a call that triggered a decision; every Outlaws debutant needs a squad number to call their own. “My first school number was four, but Dane [Paterson] was number four for us that year, so I knew I couldn’t go for that,” Harrison recounts. “I thought about having number 44, then I was told the Trent Bridge shop had run out of fours, so they couldn’t print the shirts in time! “MY FIRST SCHOOL NUMBER WAS FOUR, BUT DANE [PATERSON] WAS NUMBER FOUR FOR US THAT YEAR. I THOUGHT ABOUT HAVING 44, THEN I WAS TOLD THE TRENT BRIDGE SHOP HAD RUN OUT OF FOURS!” Calvin Harrison