'Total success' pro cricketer finds perspective Down Under
George Lavelle's outlook on life as a professional remains "spirit level" from Manchester to Melbourne.
George Lavelle credits an uncharacteristically heavy Liverpool snowfall for setting him on the pathway to playing professional cricket. A peculiar way to get a look in, it is oddly fitting for this humble and uniquely softly spoken Scouser.
Identified by a district talent scout at a winter indoor cricket competition, George only played because Ormskirk Cricket Club’s first choice wicketkeeper was quite literally snowed in. So, with his competition unable to get out of the house, much less make a stumping, George put his hand up and got a gig.
“There were a few scouts down there and for whatever reason, they liked what they saw,” he laughs. “One of them invited me down and that’s how I got my start on the pathway.”
Ironically, that scout’s name was Jack Snowdon of Maghull Cricket Club.
A constant presence in George’s career since, the wicketkeeper-batter describes Snowdon as the first “major influence” on his game and someone who helped him to navigate the early years on talent pathways and in youth academies at Lancashire County Cricket Club.
Earmarked as a player of promise as a twelve-year-old, George, who grew up in a family that never really played cricket, started to wonder if there might be a future for him in the game. Or at least knew that it was more likely than one at Anfield.
“To be honest, football is the number one thing in Liverpool by far,” he explains. “I grew up wanting to be Steven Gerrard but came to realise I was probably more of a chance at cricket.”
Going on to train with the senior squad at Lancashire as a sixteen and seventeen-year-old, George always knew how lucky he was to have the chance to learn from the best; citing access to first-team coaches and training alongside bona-fide professionals as a privilege.
That sense of perspective remained with him, indeed was enhanced, when George finished school and set off to Australia to play a season in Sydney in 2018, where he was aligned with the North Sydney Bears in Sydney’s Grade Cricket competition.
“When I finished school in September, I was promised a contract for the next season with Lancashire,” he remembers. “So, I came out to Australia where I grew up a lot, learnt a lot and went back to become a professional.
“It was such an eye-opening experience as an eighteen-year-old, but I really think a season abroad should almost be mandatory for anyone who wants to turn professional. More than the cricket, it’s fending for yourself and developing a real independence, which in turn helps your game.”
Returning home, George enjoyed his first year as a pro; steady on-field performances rewarded with captaincy in County Second XI matches. His drive to improve, however, meant that as the northern winter set in, George again came Down Under.
A second season with the Bears, he averaged 50 in the First XI, and importantly started to find joy away from the field.
“I guess the second time around I had some more confidence and recognsied that I had a magical opportunity to go out and see the world,” he says. “That’s where the independence came in and I made a conscious effort to get out and explore.
“I came to realise that playing away from home is the whole package; from self-development to the freedom to find out what works in a cricketing sense and then the travel opportunities as well.
“If nothing else, it certainly beats the UK from November to April,” he laughs. “It’s pretty bleak this time of year.”
Hardened and well-rounded from his time in Australia, George made his First team debut in the 2020 season, representing Lancashire in both t20 and First-Class fixtures. Citing a ‘Roses’ match against Joe Root (run out, Lavelle), and Dawid Malan as a highlight of that year, he now has five First-Class and 24 List-A matches to his name.
Of those, George’s “perfect day” came at Lord’s last August. A 50-over match against Middlesex, he came to the crease with Lancashire in trouble, before blasting 72 from 53 balls, to help post a defendable 7/303.
A close-run affair, Lancashire won by 10 runs, before George shared a special moment with family in The Long Room.
“It’s my best day as a professional cricketer,” he smiles. “I wonder if the hardest part was trying to get down a delicious three-course meal in a half-hour lunch break!
“To be able to share that day with mum, dad and my partner Nia was amazing.”
Amongst it all, George remains remarkably level-headed. A trait that earned him the moniker “Spiz” amongst County teammates (Lavelle – level – spirit level – Spiz), he is conscious of enjoying the ride and not putting undue pressure on himself.
Never does he talk of higher honours, lofty season goals, or players who might sit ahead of him on a ‘pecking order.’ In fact, he won’t talk about his own performance at all, unless directly prompted to do so. Instead, he embraces opportunities as they come, and for someone as friendly and talented as George, you can’t help but hope they keep coming.
Offered an eleventh-hour deal to come back to Australia for the 2023/24 season, he arrived in Melbourne after clubs in Perth failed to get back in touch. Taking the gloves at Melbourne University in Victorian Premier Cricket, he has found a second home as a ‘Student.’
“It was quite last minute really, it didn’t go through until mid-September,” he recalls. “I’d given up hope on coming out again, but it fell into place at MUCC and I’m so glad it did.”
400 runs later, George has enjoyed the summer of a lifetime in Melbourne, where he has found a city and a club, that suits him down to the ground.
“I came over with the idea of not taking things too seriously; embracing the entirety of the experience,” he says. “I wanted to enjoy the cricket, but making sure I appreciate where I am at the same time.”
Now the proud owner of a café review document that spans Greater Melbourne and places Alimentari and Rustica at the top of the list, George has also taken the chance to travel the country between training and matches.
From repeated trips to the Great Ocean Road in his borrowed Honda Jazz, to a stint in Noosa with his parents, George has also ticked off Byron Bay, Fraser Island, Sydney again, as well as Wilsons Prom.
“I’ve seen a fair bit of it now across three stints,” he smiles. “But that’s the thing, you're a million miles from home, so why not?!”
Equally dedicated to his craft as a batter, George has used his time in Melbourne to take his game to another level.
Working alongside Melbourne University clubmate and t20 ‘nomad’, Peter Hatzoglou, George has enjoyed hitting with and learning from the leg-spinner, while he has also sought out coaching from Cricket Mentoring and Melbourne Uni batter, Blake Reed.
“We have formed a bit of a community,” George smiles. “I have hit with Blake a couple of times a week since I have been out here, and he’s been wonderful. He offers advice in a way that helps you tinker and find what works.
“We’ve done a few videos for Cricket Mentoring’s YouTube as well. It’s been fun and fair to say my socials get a boost whenever they mention me!”
Happily, when reflecting on his third stint in Australia, George describes it as a “total success.”
“I’m proud to say that I think I have achieved what I wanted to this time around,” he says. “I have adopted a more relaxed attitude to my cricket and life in general and absolutely loved my time.
“That’s a success in my eyes.”
George flies to India on Saturday for the start of an intensive pre-season training camp with Lancashire.