SEDBERGH School cricketers are celebrating team-mate Harry Brook’s First Class debut for Yorkshire against Pakistan A at Headingley this week.

Harry, 17, from Ilkley, will return to school today following the drawn four-day match to play for the under-17s and under-18s in the National Schools semi-final fixtures in Arundel, West Sussex, later this week.

Current First Class players Jordan Clarke (Lancashire) and Jamie Harrison (Durham) were educated at Sedbergh School but Brook is the first pupil to play First Class whilst still at School, which is a phenomenal achievement.

His first innings for Yorkshire was brief, he was bowled first ball by Pakistan A's left-armer Mir Hamza, but Brook is sure to bounce back.

He recently smashed Clarke's record score for Sedbergh of 169 when he made 198 against Durham school.

Brook, who learned his cricket for Aire-Wharfe League side Burley where he played alongside his dad David and uncles Nick and Richard, has appeared on a number of occasions for the Yorkshire Academy this season in Yorkshire League North and has already made one century for them.

His uncle Richard, who watched Harry's debut at Headingley, said: "We are all very proud of him. He has worked so hard to get this far. Obviously it was disappointing for him to be out first ball in his first innings, but he was dismissed by a cracking delivery."

Martin Speight, Sedbergh School’s Cricket Professional, who previously played for Sussex, Durham and Wellington in New Zealand, said: “In the previous week Harry scored more than 500 runs for the Sedbergh 1st XI.

"He joined us in Year 10 at the age of 14 and throughout his time here he has shown total dedication. He trains incredibly hard and only two months ago, in an article for a national magazine, I named him as one to watch. He’s the most mentally strong young batsman I’ve come across for a long time.

“Cricket is a tough mental game and here at Sedbergh, our approach is to utilise the time that we have because pupils board – it’s a big advantage.

"To develop the sport here I set up early morning sessions for players from ten to 18, six days a week. We do a lot of the technical work in the off-season period, leaving more time to develop tactical and mental skills in the summer. I’m a big believer that success is player driven, so if they want to be in the nets then I’ll get out of bed early."