I scored T20 ton in first series, like Alex Hales!
Age: 28 Teams: England Learning Disability and North Devon CC
How did you first get into learning disability cricket? It was all a bit random really, I didn’t really know I had a learning disability until 2011 and at 23 I was reasonably old. In my first game for Devon I scored 90, took four wickets and four catches so it was quite a debut! I had started off playing football when I was young and then moved onto to tennis but eventually landed on cricket.
How quickly did you progress into the England set-up?
After some good performances, Devon were in contact with the England Learning Disability coaches in 2012 because they thought I would fit in well. One of the England coaches came down to Exeter for a one-to-one session to see what I was like, I was invited to training and then played a match against a Portsmouth side in May 2013. I scored 150 and it was the first century ever scored by an England LD player.
What do you enjoy about disability cricket?
I love the team environment and team atmosphere in cricket. As a team sport, when you lose together you always have your team-mates to pick you up. If you are a solid team, you stick together and drag each other through it. I love the training involved with cricket and I really feel like the better we train, the more success we can have.
What have been the highlights of your career so far?
I went to Australia in 2015 in for an international series. I scored 50 in the first game and the next day I scored 100. Not only was I the first person to score a century for England LD, I was the first person to score an international century for them as well. As far as I am aware, I am only the second person in any England side to score a T20 century in their first series – and the other is Alex Hales!
What’s on the horizon in 2017?
We have a triangular series with Australia and South Africa coming up this summer – it is being played in a few different grounds around Cheshire, so it will be nice to experience some different venues around there. I am looking forward to seeing the Australians again, I know quite a few of them are suffering with some injuries so how many of them make it over I don’t know. I have never played against South Africa, so it will be a real challenge to test ourselves against another good cricketing nation.
How confident are you of a successful year?
Whenever I go out to bat in an international series, I want to be the leading run-scorer in the T20 series and the leading run-scorer in the ODI series. I want the player of the tournament trophy as well because I believe you need to aim high. I am confident we can win the triangular series and I am desperate to score more runs for my country.