Playing for England at the age of 61 (From Bucks Free Press)

Lynch gets set to take on the Aussies

9:00am Friday 20th July 2012 in Sport

Beaconsfield Cricket Club's former chairman Steve Lynch will pad up for England today at the grand old age of 61 not out.

The veteran batter has been selected for the Over 60s One Day International against Australia at Stroud.

Lynch, who used to captain Becky’s first XI, has retained his place in the national side following his participation in England’s successful winter tour Down Under.

On his debut tour, he played in three of England’s six matches as England won the series 4-0 and was the country’s second top scorer in all the games he played, recording knocks of 23, 19 and 17.

The 61-year-old joked: “I thought my prospects of ever playing for England had passed me by.

“It’s been a bit of a late call up but I am really thrilled to be able to say I am playing for my country.

“It’s great to be able to wear the cap and sweater even if it is as a 61-year-old.”

And after waiting decades for his country to come calling, Lynch is now hoping to hang around on the national scene for a few more years to come.

He said: “I’m still relatively athletic and I would like to stick around for a bit.”

But he admits his new role comes with a bit of added pressure.

He said: “You don’t want to fail when you are playing for England, you don’t want to come off with a nought.

“It’s taken quite seriously and there’s some good players.”

Lynch has been a member at Beaconsfield for over 20 years, but more recently he has kept himself ticking over with occasional games for Beaconsfield’s second and third teams and he played a big part in seeing Bucks Over 60s to wins over Berkshire and Essex.

But, despite his elevation onto the international circuit, Lynch insists he will not be hammering on the door of Beaconsfield captain Jason Harrison, demanding his first team place back.