Pocklington CC stalwart Neal Jackson eager to shine for England 60s on India tour

​Jackson will be touring with England for the first time in January and February as part of a 16-player Lions squad, competing in the Veterans Cricket India National Tournament in Pondicherry as part of preparation for the 2026 Over 60s World Cup in Toronto.

Jackson said: “I received the call-up after playing a couple of games for the Lions team in the tri-nations (England, Scotland and Wales) competition in Birmingham in September. I received an email in October congratulating me and confirming my place on the tour to India."

Jackson's England representative honour caps a prolific 22-year career with Pock.

He arrived at the club in 2003; after playing for Sessay CC, Alne and Ripon, where he racked up three centuries in 2001, followed by a brief stay at Woodhouse Grange in 2002.

Jackson added: “In 1988 I spent a year working in Australia where I played local cricket and scored my first century on the hard and bouncy wickets of South Australia.”

He was immediately at home at Pocklington, where he has gone on to score over 9,000 runs and pouch more than a hundred catches.

Not only has he found the Burnby Lane wicket to his liking as a batsman, but he has also become intimately acquainted with it over the years as the club's head groundsman.

The England honour follows on from a notable 2025 when he was made a Pocklington CC life member for his long and distinguished service to the club in April, before going on to play some crucial innings for Pocklington 1st XI.

Jackson added: “There are many proud moments in my career. I’ve represented all the leagues that I have played in.

"Other proud moments include playing in the Yorkshire 60s team that reached the County Championship final in 2024, playing for Yorkshire 60s against Pakistan 60s, captaining a North of England 60s team last year against world champions Australia. But the proudest moment is being selected for my country’s Over 60s team in an overseas tournament.

“If I perform well in India my goal is to earn a place in the squad for the World Cup from August 9-23 in Ontario.

“This tour has come at a time when I would be looking at pre-season work on the Pocklington CC ground, but there is a team of four groundstaff that help with these tasks and they should be able to make a start on maintenance tasks if conditions allow.”

England 60s squad: Jason Caunt (C), Ian Barton, Chris Bowmer, Andrew Davis (WK), Phil Deakin, Mark Eames, Martyn Ford, Nick Gaywood, Phil Hillson, Mel Hussain, Neal Jackson, Zaheer Mohamed, Vince Mulholland, Simon Routh (wk), Lee Selfe, Steve Small, Paul Bradley (Manager), Paul Gelder (Manager), Allen Murray (Scorer).

Itinerary

Warm Up Game (v Chairman’s XI) – Jan 27 at Chennai Super Kings

Veterans Cricket India National Tournament at Pondicherry. All games are 45 overs.

First Match – Jan 29 – South Zone

Second Match – Jan 30 – Global Patriots

Third Match – Jan 31 – West Zone

Fourth Match – Feb 2 – North Zone

Fifth Match – Feb 3 – Central Zone.