Sporting Bygones: Dreams of making it at high level are fulfilled by only handful of hopefuls

A select few will inevitably one day reach that pinnacle of the sport and do battle in the Test arena. Other fortunates may forge a living as a professional county player while the vast majority will simply play for fun on the vibrant club circuit or maybe even resort to the more relaxed option of watching it all from the comfort of an armchair.

Some of those who undoubtedly felt the dream of walking out at the Gabba as a distinct possibility was this selection of tyro schoolboys, pictured right, gathered together for the Leeds Schools' Cricket Association's 1990 presentation evening at Yorkshire's Indoor Cricket School.

That year a record number of boys from the city of Leeds gained places in Yorkshire sides at age levels ranging from Under-11 to Under-15, all hoping to eventually play for their home county and maybe push on and star for England.

Although none of them ever did quite reach the starry heights of international cricket, plenty did develop their talent to the level where they competed in the County Championship.

Wakefield-born Gary Keedy – here aged just 15 – would make his first-class debut with Yorkshire four years later as a graduate of their Academy and is still playing now at Lancashire with almost 200 first-class games to his name.

An effective left-arm spinner, his potential was spotted early and he represented England Under-19s in eight Test matches, once memorably taking the wicket of future West Indian ace Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Keedy was allowed to move across the Pennines though in 1995 and gradually developed his game with the Red Rose, enjoying his most prolific season in 2004 with 72 wickets at the rate of 25.68, including six five-wicket hauls.

There was no better return from any English-qualified spinners that summer and many felt his performances should have been rewarded with a Test spot on the South African tour.

However, Keedy's efforts went unnoticed by the selectors and the following year he suffered an injury which also ruined any hopes of heading to Pakistan and India.

Subsequently, Monty Panesar was selected and maintained his place in the national squad until last year before Graeme Swann's dynamic arrival. Keedy, meanwhile, saw his appearances drop at Lancashire given the arrival of the legendary Muttiah Murilathatan and now, aged 35, his chance of earning Test recognition has almost certainly gone.

Three others in this 1990 schoolboys line-up went on to play first-class cricket with varying degrees of success – Iain Sutcliffe (Leeds Grammar School), Andrew Bairstow (Fulneck Boys School) and James Middlebrook (Pudsey Crawshaw).

Sutcliffe – also then 15 – was overlooked by the Tykes and instead, after representing Oxford University, signed for Leicestershire where he made his first-class debut in the same year as his childhood friend Keedy.

He developed a reputation as a solid rather than spectacular left-handed opener but proved a reliable, gritty and patient run-maker lifting the County Championship with them in 1996 and, remarkably, again two years later.

He was Leicestershire's player of the year in 2002 and, during his eight campaigns at Grace Road, Sutcliffe often returned to torment his home county, a trait he would similarly repeat after joining Keedy at Lancashire in 2003.

One well-fashioned century of 153 against the White Rose at Headingley in 2005 was particularly satisfying before he retired two years ago in less emphatic style, twice being cheaply dismissed by Matthew Hoggard in a drawn War of the Roses clash at Old Trafford.

Nevertheless, a first-class career which spawned 16 tons and 51 half-centuries, 9,464 runs at an average of 34.16 and a highlight being a double century against Glamorgan, was an excellent record.

Bairstow, meanwhile, another left-handed batsman and the son of famous Yorkshire and England wicketkeeper David, managed just three first-class appearances for Derbyshire when surprisingly called up in 1995.

His professional career never materialised but he has become a huge success on the club front, playing a major role in the Pudsey Congs side which dominated the revered Bradford League for so long.

Bairstow joined up at Intake Road in 2003 and is their current captain while his younger brother Jonathan – the gifted 21-year-old continuing the family tradition of wicketkeeping – is making strides for Yorkshire and is currently in Brisbane as part of England's Performance Programme Squad offering support to the Ashes' players.

Middlebrook did manage to succeed with the Tykes, maturing to the senior side having progressed through all of their age-school teams and becoming an off-spinner of some note.

Currently playing for Northamptonshire, his career best figures were 6-82 for Yorkshire against Hampshire at Southampton in 2000 which included a devastating spell of four wickets in just five balls.

However, one of his finest moments for the White Rose came in 2001 – the season when an elated Yorkshire finally ended their 33-year long wait to lift the County Championship.

Although Middlebrook was not used consistently by captain David Byas, he did feature during that stellar campaign and, ironically, his biggest impact came with the bat.

The Pudsey-raised player – he often turns out alongside Bairstow for Congs – struck 84 to force a draw against Essex at Chelmsford, putting on a crucial eighth-wicket partnership of 126 with England paceman Chris Silverwood to salvage the match.

Their hosts must have been impressed; Middlebrook moved on to Essex the following summer in search of more regular cricket, staying there until his switch to Northampton last year.

He has carved out as a reputation as a fine exponent of the Twenty20 format while another of this class of 1990 also went on to make his mark at Headingley.

Michael Oldfied never progressed beyond the county's Academy side but is now often frequenting the famous ground as first-team sports masseur for Premiership rugby club Leeds Carnegie.

Pictured are:

Back row (left to right): Iain Sutcliffe (Leeds Grammar), Jonathan Henry (St Mary's Menston), Andrew Bairstow (Fulneck Boys School), Gary Keedy (Garforth Comprehensive), Gareth Symmonds (Leeds Grammar), Stewart Smith (Pudsey Grangefield), Jake Jeffrey (Benton Park School) and James Middlebrook (Pudsey Crawshaw). Front row (left to right): Michael Oldfield (St Joseph's Pudsey), Nicholas Murden (Guiseley School), Richard Whitaker (Guiseley School), Robert Murphy (Benton Park School), Mark Ross (Guiseley Fieldhead) and Ian Cheesewright (Wetherby High School).