JONNY Tattersall, released by Yorkshire three years ago but taken back on last year, wants to captain the first team one day.

The 23-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, who has already skippered his county at under-17, Academy and second-team level and has been vice-captain for England at an Under-19 World Cup, made the admission when he was chief guest at the Dales Council League’s annual dinner and prize-presentation at the Midland Hotel in Bradford.

“The wheel has gone full circle,” admitted the Harrogate-born batsman, who was dispensed with by the White Rose in 2015 due to a lack of runs.

As a teenager, the other main string to his bow was being a leg-spinner, and remarkably it was only last winter that he decided to take up the gloves, with keeping running in his family via his dad and his brother.

Junior success led to him playing for Yorkshire at under-11s, 15s and under-17s, where they won the County Championship, and it was Yorkshire coach Steve Oldham who suggested that Tattersall should try opening the batting.

“I used to bat a bit and bowl leg spin,” recalled Tattersall, who was educated at King James School, Knaresborough, “but I opened the batting for Yorkshire Under-17s and didn’t get much chance to bowl.”

Although he made his first-class debut in 2013 against Glamorgan at Headingley, as well as playing in a Pro40 match, it was mainly a diet of Academy and second-team cricket for the youngster.

His agility as a fielder led to Tattersall making a 12th man appearance for England that summer against New Zealand at Headingley, and he said: “It was mainly a case of doing bits and pieces, such as running on with the drinks, but it was good to listen to how Alastair Cook spoke before a session of play and after a session.”

Things didn’t move forward for the young Yorkshireman, however, and being released signalled the end of over a decade of representing his county.

“Playing cricket was all that I ever knew,” admitted Tattersall, “and not having a proper job, and being told ‘We don’t think that you are going to make it’ was pretty disappointing, but I still wanted to be a professional cricketer.”

Tattersall added: “You have to grow up a little bit, but coach Tim Boon was a massive help to me with Yorkshire Under-19s, and I went out to play cricket in Tasmania and then minor counties cricket for Lincolnshire in 2016.

“I had a trial for Derbyshire and scored 110 not out in a second-team match against Somerset, but it was soon back to square one and I was thinking about the real world again.

“However, I scored over 1300 runs for Harrogate that season and was given a three-month contract by Yorkshire at the end of the season, and scored 100 against Notts at Scarborough.

“I was opening the batting but my leg-spin had vanished a bit, although I still wanted to bowl, and Yorkshire extended my contract to 2018.

“It was like getting my first one again, and I spoke to Andrew Gale last November about trying wicket-keeping, which runs in my family.

“Andrew Hodd (who has just retired as Yorkshire’s keeper) helped me a lot and I got the chance to keep in 50 over and T20 matches, although keeping in four-day matches is quite draining as it demands a lot of concentration.

“I would like to captain Yorkshire one day, but hopefully as an opening bat and a wicket-keeper I add plenty of dimension to the team.”