NEIL and Logan Curnow joined one of cricket’s exclusive clubs when they played together for Cornwall in Sunday’s National Counties T20 double-header against Dorset at St Austell.

The father and son have played together for three years at club level for St Just but it was the first time that they had done so at county level. Such instances are rare at county level, but the Curnows joined the likes of former Lancashire and England batter Jack Ikin and his son Michael (Staffordshire), former Northamptonshire all-rounder Brian Crump and his father Stanley (Staffordshire) and future Northamptonshire and England batter Alec Swann and his father Ray (Bedfordshire) in playing together in a National Counties – formerly Minor Counties – match.

Although Logan was named in the Cornwall squad originally selected to face Dorset, Neil’s inclusion at the age of 44 came as a surprise, not least to the man himself.

Having made his Cornwall debut in 2000 – eight years before Logan was born – Neil retired from county cricket in 2017 but has continued to play and score heavily for St Just in the ECB Cornwall Premier League. He was, however, still surprised to get a late-night phone call from Cornwall team manager Godfrey Furse.

“I wasn’t down to play – I hadn’t played for Cornwall since 2017 – but Godfrey rang me about 11.30pm on Friday night, as he does, and said: “Are you bringing your boy to St Austell on Sunday?”

“I said: ‘Yes, Godfrey I’m bringing Logan.’ He goes: ‘Well lad, our two Kent boys, Alex Blake and Will MacVicar, aren’t playing and I’m thinking that we need an older head’.

“I said: Godfrey, I’ve got cricket on Saturday so I don’t think I’m going to be able to play Sunday as well. But I ended up agreeing to play. I was only going to play in the first game and then let a youngster play in the second, but the first game went quite well and I ended up playing both. It’s taken me until Wednesday morning to recover.

“I’ve already had Godfrey on to ask if I am driving Logan up to Eastnor this weekend. They’ve selected the side and I’m not in it, but Godfrey has asked me to put my kit in the van in case they need me.”

If last Sunday does prove to be Neil’s last county appearance he will be able to retire a happy man having helped Cornwall to two wins with his 17-year-old son also making valuable contributions.

“It was lovely to play with Logan it really was,” Neil said. “I’ve been lucky enough to play with Logan for three years now in the Premier League and I have also got to play football with him at senior level for Ludgvan for two seasons.

“But this was the icing on the cake to play with him at National Counties level. I never expected that in my wildest dreams.

“It was nice to actually contribute because, having not played for so long, it was a bit nervy – although I shouldn’t be nervous at 44. To get 41 was really nice and to see Logan five wickets in the day and three catches was incredible.

“To be honest I would have been a lot happier watching, but to play for the county with him was lovely.

“After Logan was born I played four or five games a year for Cornwall, it was never a full commitment. Then as I got a bit older I thought it was time to let the youngsters come through and take my spot because there are a lot of very good young cricketers in Cornwall. So the timing was right. But to get a call-up so long after I retired was pretty special.

“As I walked out on Sunday I was expecting to get a barrage from Dorset – ‘who’s this old boy, this dumpy lad’ – but they were absolutely fantastic. They would have realised I was 44 because I do look my age. They had probably noticed that I wasn’t doing the warm-ups with the rest of the boys. I was putting liniment on my legs and ice spray on my ankles.

“Godfrey came in the changing room afterwards and congratulated us and said it was a rare moment getting the opportunity to play with your lad. Three days later I get the phone call from him asking if I was coming up to Herefordshire, so whether the retirement still stands, we will find out on Sunday.”