MCC Young Photographer 2004: Anthony Devlin

Date released: 25 April 2004

Anthony Devlin has today been appointed as the MCC Young Cricket Photographer 2004. He was the unanimous choice of a selection panel which interviewed applicants from as far afield as New Zealand.

As the MCC Young Cricket Photographer for the coming season, Anthony will benefit from expert professional guidance from top sports photographers (including, in particular, Graham Morris), financial support (worth around £5,000) and an end-of-season exhibition at Lord's. In addition, he will have a season-long pass to Lords and the possibility of covering - like Sarah Williams, his predecessor - one of MCC's overseas tours.

Commenting on Anthony's selection, Adam Chadwick, MCC's Curator and a member of the selection panel, said: "Anthony's portfolio was extremely impressive. He clearly has a great talent for both action and atmospheric photography. His obvious love of sport will stand him in good stead for an extremely busy season at Lord's. We believe he will be an excellent successor to Sarah Williams, who made such a great impact as the first MCC Young Cricket Photographer in 2003."

Speaking about his appointment, Anthony (25) said: "I am delighted to have been awarded this MCC scholarship. I have always been a sports fan, so it's going to be enormously exciting to work at Lord's - the home of cricket - alongside top photographers like Graham Morris and Patrick Eagar. It's a fantastic opportunity to cover an extraordinarily wide range of matches - from Tests to blind cricket. It will be a great way of increasing my experience and improving my portfolio. I hope it will enable me to take my photographic career to a new level."

Anthony, who lives in Gloucester and works for the Gloucestershire Echo, will begin his season as the MCC Young Cricket Photographer on Friday 9th April, when a strong MCC side will face the Champion County (Sussex) at the start of a four-day fixture at Lord's.

The MCC Young Cricket Photographer scholarship is one of several MCC initiatives to identify and foster young cricket-related talent. Others include the MCC Young Cricketers scheme.

The current Young Cricketers are now on tour in Sri Lanka, while recent 'graduates' include Rikki Clarke (a member of England's squad in the West Indies) and Alex Gidman.