Jason de la Pêna
Encyclopedia
Jason Michael de la Peña (born 16 September 1972) is an English
journalist and Sky News
, Sky Sports
, and ESPN-StarSports presenter and a former cricketer
who played 11 first-class
and three List A matches in the 1990s. Despite his small number of appearances, he managed to appear for no fewer than four different counties. He was born in Hammersmith
, London
.
De la Peña played for the Gloucestershire
second team in the second half of the 1990 season, and the following year he made his first-team debut, in a County Championship
match against Essex
. He took 1-69 from 24 overs in Essex's only innings, removing Paul Prichard
for 10. He played one other game that season, against Leicestershire
, but then returned to the seconds, where he remained right through 1992. He did play twice in 1993, taking 4-77 against the Australians
in June, but mostly he remained in the second team, and left Gloucestershire at the end of the season.
For 1994 de la Peña joined Surrey
, but another frustrating season followed: he played no first-class cricket at all, and though he did make his one-day debut opening the bowling against Leicestershire in the AXA Equity and Law League
he had a nightmare, being taken off after conceding 34 runs in just three overs and not being selected again that summer. 1995 was slightly better, as after taking 8-56 in a Second XI match against Leicestershire, de la Peña enjoyed a run in the first team for the only time in his career: in late July and early August he made two appearances in each form of the game, but again he could not manage to break through to become a regular in the side.
Two barren years followed: 1996 was spent entirely in Surrey's second team, and he was generally expensive even there, regularly going for five runs an over. The following season he played no county cricket at any level, his only appearance of note being in a minor match, for the Earl of Arundel
's XI against Ireland
in a friendly one-day game in August. He did at least take 3-39 on that occasion. In 1997, he made 3 Minor Counties Championship appearances for Hertfordshire
against Cambridgeshire
, Suffolk
and Buckinghamshire
.
Kent
took him on in 1998, but here again he was frustrated in his ambitions: he played only twice, and his three wickets cost more than 51 runs apiece. In June and July he had a terrible run, going seven first and second-team games without a wicket, although he followed that up with a fine run in the seconds, taking 30 wickets in six successive innings; this, however, was not enough to win him back his place in the first eleven.
For 1999 de la Peña moved yet again, to his fourth county, Worcestershire
. He was selected for the first match of the season, a three-day game against Oxford University
, and rewarded the county's faith in him by producing an outstanding first-innings analysis
of 14-6-18-6, following that up with 4-34 to claim the only ten-wicket match haul of his career. Sadly it was a false dawn: he was to make only one more first-class appearance, a month later, conceding 82 runs from 13 overs against Hampshire
for the single wicket of Nixon McLean
.
De la Peña never scored more than 7 in a first-team game, while even at Second XI level he reached 20 only five times in more than 120 innings.
After the end of his cricketing career, de la Peña became a news presenter on Sky News
, following previous stints at France 24
and Russia Today
. In December 2009 he made his debut as a cricket presenter on Sky Sports's international cricket coverage and was presenting when Sachin Tendulkar
hit a record breaking 200 not out in a one day international between India and South Africa.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
journalist and Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
, Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
, and ESPN-StarSports presenter and a former cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
who played 11 first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
and three List A matches in the 1990s. Despite his small number of appearances, he managed to appear for no fewer than four different counties. He was born in Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
De la Peña played for the Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
second team in the second half of the 1990 season, and the following year he made his first-team debut, in a County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
match against Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
. He took 1-69 from 24 overs in Essex's only innings, removing Paul Prichard
Paul Prichard
Paul Prichard is an English cricketer who played for Essex County Cricket Club. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler. He is best known for spending seventeen years as a batsman for Essex at first-class and List A level where he was club captain from 1995-1998...
for 10. He played one other game that season, against Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
, but then returned to the seconds, where he remained right through 1992. He did play twice in 1993, taking 4-77 against the Australians
Australian cricket team
The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877...
in June, but mostly he remained in the second team, and left Gloucestershire at the end of the season.
For 1994 de la Peña joined Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
, but another frustrating season followed: he played no first-class cricket at all, and though he did make his one-day debut opening the bowling against Leicestershire in the AXA Equity and Law League
National League (cricket)
The NatWest Pro40 League was a one-day cricket league for first-class cricket counties in England and Wales. It was inaugurated in 1999, but was essentially the old Sunday League retitled to reflect the fact that large numbers of matches were played on days other than Sunday.-Sunday League:The...
he had a nightmare, being taken off after conceding 34 runs in just three overs and not being selected again that summer. 1995 was slightly better, as after taking 8-56 in a Second XI match against Leicestershire, de la Peña enjoyed a run in the first team for the only time in his career: in late July and early August he made two appearances in each form of the game, but again he could not manage to break through to become a regular in the side.
Two barren years followed: 1996 was spent entirely in Surrey's second team, and he was generally expensive even there, regularly going for five runs an over. The following season he played no county cricket at any level, his only appearance of note being in a minor match, for the Earl of Arundel
Earl of Arundel
The title Earl of Arundel is the oldest extant Earldom and perhaps the oldest extant title in the Peerage of England. It is currently held by the Duke of Norfolk, and is used by his heir apparent as a courtesy title. It was created in 1138 for the Norman baron Sir William d'Aubigny...
's XI against Ireland
Irish cricket team
The Ireland cricket team is the cricket team representing all of Ireland. Because of political difficulties, the Irish Cricket Union was not elected to the International Cricket Council until 1993, and qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 2007. The Irish Cricket Union is the...
in a friendly one-day game in August. He did at least take 3-39 on that occasion. In 1997, he made 3 Minor Counties Championship appearances for Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire County Cricket Club
Hertfordshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Hertfordshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
against Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire County Cricket Club
Cambridgeshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Cambridgeshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy.The club is based at The Avenue...
, Suffolk
Suffolk County Cricket Club
Suffolk County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Suffolk....
and Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire County Cricket Club
Buckinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Buckinghamshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy. The Minor Counties play...
.
Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
took him on in 1998, but here again he was frustrated in his ambitions: he played only twice, and his three wickets cost more than 51 runs apiece. In June and July he had a terrible run, going seven first and second-team games without a wicket, although he followed that up with a fine run in the seconds, taking 30 wickets in six successive innings; this, however, was not enough to win him back his place in the first eleven.
For 1999 de la Peña moved yet again, to his fourth county, Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
. He was selected for the first match of the season, a three-day game against Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
, and rewarded the county's faith in him by producing an outstanding first-innings analysis
Bowling analysis
In the sport of cricket, a bowling analysis usually refers to a notation summarising a bowler's performance in terms of overs bowled, how many of those overs are maidens , total runs conceded and number of wickets taken...
of 14-6-18-6, following that up with 4-34 to claim the only ten-wicket match haul of his career. Sadly it was a false dawn: he was to make only one more first-class appearance, a month later, conceding 82 runs from 13 overs against Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
for the single wicket of Nixon McLean
Nixon McLean
Nixon Alexei McNamara McLean is a West Indian cricketer. He is a right-arm fast medium bowler and a left-handed batsman...
.
De la Peña never scored more than 7 in a first-team game, while even at Second XI level he reached 20 only five times in more than 120 innings.
After the end of his cricketing career, de la Peña became a news presenter on Sky News
Sky News
Sky News is a 24-hour British and international satellite television news broadcaster with an emphasis on UK and international news stories.The service places emphasis on rolling news, including the latest breaking news. Sky News also hosts localised versions of the channel in Australia and in New...
, following previous stints at France 24
France 24
France 24 is an international news and current affairs television channel. The service is aimed at the overseas market, similar to BBC World News, DW-TV, NHK World and RT, and broadcast through satellite and cable operators throughout the world. During 2010 the channel started broadcasting through...
and Russia Today
Russia Today
Russia Today may refer to:* Russia Today, an English language 24-hour television news channel from Russia. It was launched in 2005 and is not related to an online news service of the similar name operated by EIN News...
. In December 2009 he made his debut as a cricket presenter on Sky Sports's international cricket coverage and was presenting when Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the only male player to score a double century in the history of ODI cricket...
hit a record breaking 200 not out in a one day international between India and South Africa.
External links
- Statistical summary from CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...
- Jason de la Peña's website