Fresh off the back of his maiden first-class hundred on Day Two of Nottinghamshire’s LV= County Championship clash with Durham, Lyndon James spoke of his delight upon reaching the milestone.
James, who ended unbeaten on 105*, bettered his previous first-class high score of 91 to reach three figures late on the second day, as the Green and Golds closed on 371/3, leading their hosts by 141 at the Riverside.
“I’m over the moon,” said James. “I was disappointed on a couple of occasions not to get there last year, so it’s very pleasing to finally get over the line.”
The mental anguish of approaching the mark is something every batter knows only too well, with the feeling of the ‘nervous nineties’ potentially only exacerbated for first-time centurion James.
However, he explained that the feeling was unique, and contrary to what some may have thought, he felt more relaxed when only one run away.
“I said to Slats [Ben Slater], I was more nervous throughout the nineties than I was when I was on actual 99!” he smiled. “I don’t really know why, it was a strange feeling, but he was really good in calming me down.
“It was a massive relief to get there in the end.”
James’ moment was made all the more notable by the presence of his parents in the stands in Chester-le-Street, and he gave particular mention to his glee in their being at the venue to witness his achievement.
“It’s really special to share that with them,” the 23-year-old said. “They’ve been travelling here, there, and everywhere since I was a kid, so it was very special.
“I was delighted I could share it with them, because they’ve sacrificed a lot for me.”
With one eye on the game itself, James went on to discuss the match situation as it stands at the halfway point, and he is confident of another productive day tomorrow.
“It feels like quite a slow wicket, and you feel like you can score if they miss,” James explained.
“Slats and I are just looking to get through the first half an hour tomorrow morning, and then we assess and see how much time we want to give ourselves to bowl them out.”
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