Wilkinson the double international?

Last weekend Jonny Wilkinson, the England rugby fly-half, enraptured the entire nation with that devastatingly dramatic drop-goal in the dying seconds of the World Cup final. Ever since, the British newspapers have been suffering from Wilkomania, charting everything from his mother's nervousness (she famously missed the vital drop, as she was buying vegetables in Tesco's at the time) to his girlfriend's appearance on Blind Date when she was 18.

But we think they have missed one small thing. There has been a lot of talk about Clive Woodward taking over the England soccer team - but no-one has spotted that Wilkinson himself might now be a handy allrounder in the England cricket team, probably batting higher than No. 10.

As a sporty youngster Wilkinson was a mainstay of his school team, as the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack reveals. The schools' section of the 1996 edition includes a write-up on the 1st XI of Lord Wandsworth College, the public school in Long Sutton in Hampshire whose gates currently proudly proclaim it as "Lord Wilkinson College". He took 34 wickets at 16.23 apiece, and the report says: "Jon [sic] Wilkinson also bowled well at fast-medium, in his first full season."

In 1996, when he was 17, Wilkinson was part of what Wisden calls "the strongest side in the college's history". This time he took 38 wickets at 17.89, and also scored 398 runs at 30.61, with a highest score of 87. The report, while noting that "Guy Hicks played for England Under-15", adds: "The excellent results stemmed from a fine team effort, with Jonny Wilkinson outstanding."

By 1997, Wilkinson was Lord Wandsworth's captain, and this time he rose to the occasion by topping the batting averages (252 runs at 50.40). But, as Wisden noted, something else was getting in the way of his cricket: "In an experienced side, boosted by a successful tour to South Africa, Jonny Wilkinson continued his outstanding form, although his rugby commitments with England Under-18 and Newcastle prevented him from playing in more than seven games. He left the school with 85 wickets to his name."

The other day Nasser Hussain wrote that all the current England cricket team needs is a superstar. Perhaps Duncan Fletcher should ask Woodward for Jonny Wilkinson's mobile number ...