ANDREW Gale says Jack Leaning is achieving in first-team cricket what he failed to do in Yorkshire’s second team – pile on the runs.

Leaning has been the county’s standout batsman in the LV= County Championship with 657 runs from seven matches, including three hundreds – the first of his first-class career.

Ahead of Yorkshire’s ongoing clash with Durham at Emirates Durham, only Somerset’s James Hildreth had scored more runs than the 21-year-old in Division One.

Leaning readily admits that one of his biggest assets is to score tough runs, sometimes described by members of the Yorkshire hierarchy as “ugly runs”.

He has only got two second XI hundreds to his name – one either side of his Championship debut against Surrey at Headingley in 2013 – but he has regularly scored important half-centuries.

One such instance was a 60 in tricky conditions against Lancashire seconds at Headingley last April when Gale was in the side. It convinced the skipper that he was ready for a crack at first-team cricket.

“There was a criticism of Jack in second-team cricket that he didn’t kick the door down through a volume of runs,” said White Rose captain Gale. “We questioned whether he’d be able to step up.

“In second-team cricket, he only scored one hundred before he made his debut in the first team, but he’s stepped up and been better in the first team. He is going from strength to strength.

“People surprise you, particularly young players. If you give them an opportunity and back them – tell them they are not just in for one or two games – it gives them a lot of confidence.”