Faced with a choice between bat and racket, Ben Charlesworth's commitment to cricket has paid off

ED KRARUP: It is remarkable how many cricketers could have chosen a different sporting path. It is impossible to know whether Charlesworth would have enjoyed equal success on the tennis court, but their loss has been cricket's gain

Batting can be a complicated art. Technique, timing, decision-making and concentration all have to work together in unison.

Yet, when watching Ben Charlesworth face up, it seems as though he has all the time in the world. One of the few positives to come from England’s dramatic exit at the hands of Australia in the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year was Charlesworth’s innings of 82 at the top of the order.

While he was at the crease, England were in control. Once he departed, the side had lost its mainstay - the reliable pivot around which others were able to bat more freely.

Gloucestershire recognised his talents even earlier, having offered the 19-year-old a three-year contract before he had even left his school, St Edward’s in Oxford. It marked the certainty of his ability, but also the county's trust in the school that they would sufficiently prepare Charlesworth for the professional game.

^{Charlesworth (left) developed a reliable opening partnership with Kent's Jordan Cox}

“At school was where the basis of my batting was developed.” Charlesworth tells The Cricketer.

“I worked with David Simpkins, who was the cricket professional there and we never really veered away from two key points. They were to watch the ball and to make sure I am balanced at the point of release. If I did those things I would be in the best position to face the ball coming down at me.”

Simpkins, once of Gloucestershire himself, is one of many reasons that St Edward’s can consider themselves one of the strongest schools on the circuit. Good fixture lists combine with quality facilities and pitches to create a superb cricket programme.

As a 13-year-old, however, Charlesworth had a choice to make: he was torn between two options that could have taken him down very different sporting paths. St Edward’s was the obvious choice if he wanted to focus on cricket, but to fulfill his tennis potential, he may have had to go elsewhere.

“Tennis was a major part of my life growing up,” Charlesworth explains. “It was probably 60/40 towards cricket but I didn’t neglect tennis at all.

“I used to play in regional competitions so I took it very seriously. It’s strange to look back on now because I was so young and at the time I really did get into it.”

To provide further context, Charlesworth modestly points out that the top 120 players in the country would compete.

“There was one lad called Jack Draper who I played against; he absolutely smashed me!”

Charlesworth laughs as he tells this anecdote, as he reflects back to his early teenage years. Since their meeting, Draper has risen to be ranked 285 in the world and Great Britain’s eighth best male player. In 2018, he reached the singles final of Junior Wimbledon.

^{A promising tennis player in his youth, Charlesworth ultimately decided to focus on his cricket}

But cricket won out and perhaps it always would have done. Charlesworth’s father is a keen cricketer and coach, while his brother Luke represents the St Edward’s 1st XI and was selected to play for South & West at the Bunbury Festival.

Arriving at St Edward’s – or Teddies as it is affectionately known, as a cricket scholar, Charlesworth spent the first half of his opening summer playing for his own age group, before making the inevitable step up to the school 1st XI towards the end of the season.

“It felt like a really big deal to get called up. Back then playing first team cricket was massive. Games felt like Ashes Tests.”

Despite having four and a half summers of memorable matches and innings to consider it is his first outing for the 1st XI that he recalls with most fondness.

That day was the final of the John Harvey Cup, a competition that brings together a selection of the top cricketing schools in the country. Quite the occasion for a boy playing against opposition four years his senior to make his debut. On top of that, he was asked to open the batting.

Teddies got over the line with three wickets in hand, and Charlesworth was crucially there at the end, having anchored the chase. He finished not out in the seventies.

The teenager would spend four more very productive summers at the school.

“The first three years were about learning how to accumulate runs and to understand my game,” he adds. “Then in the last two years I felt like I was in complete control, however I knew that school runs practically meant zero in terms of shaping a professional career. It was all about making sure I was in the right headspace and technical positions to play at a higher level.”

Working with Simpkins, Charlesworth benefited from the coaching and facilities, to which he fully admits he was very lucky to have access, as he set about making the leap to the professional game.

“There are so many bridges to cross between school and Championship cricket. You can’t even compare them. You have academy cricket, then second team cricket before you reach the Championship.”

Through Simpkins’ link with Gloucestershire, Charlesworth joined their academy at 14, spending the next three years working his way towards higher honours.

His first-class debut was against Warwickshire at Edgbaston and it quickly became clear that this was no longer any old school game.

“The biggest step up was the consistency of the bowlers. It wasn’t necessarily the pace, instead you have to be so disciplined because bowlers don’t miss their areas. It was about finding ways to score runs when bowlers bowl their best delivery. You can’t wait for the bad ball because there may be just one every 10 overs.”

That being said, in only his third first-class match, Charlesworth scored 77 against Middlesex, bringing up his 50 with a straight six of Dawid Malan. It made him Gloucestershire’s youngest half-centurion for more than 70 years.

^{A techincally solid player as a result of hours spent in the nets with David Simpkins}

Despite being one of county cricket’s rising stars, and being offered a three year contract when in lower sixth, the left-hander was determined not to restrict his options.

“I wanted to make sure I had a Plan B. It would take a lot of pressure off my cricket if I had a back-up plan.”

A-Levels in history, geography and economics are by no means subjects done just to have a safety net. When on tour with England Under-19s in Bangladesh, he and Worcestershire’s Jack Haynes would study together for several hours a day, so to ensure their complete education.

The fact he left school with two As and a B further support his determination and a willingness to learn, strong attributes for both a county cricketer and an A-Level economist.

As well as being academic companions, Charlesworth and Haynes have become best friends through their time spent together playing for England. They were often roommates on tour.

“We speak to each other most days,” he says. “He was at Malvern College and we would often play against each other.

“We are both mainly batters, but I still bowled six overs at him every year for five years yet I didn’t manage to get him out once! He was so determined not to get out to me. It was all good fun.”

Despite having a World Cup under his belt, and having initially entered this curious summer with a season of Division One to look forward to, Charlesworth has not forgotten his journey to date, and those who have helped him along the way.

“Teddies and Simpkins have been massively influential on my career. Him and my dad, I owe a lot of my success to them,” he finishes.

“I arrived at Teddies wanting to become a professional cricketer, and through the guidance and facilities I was lucky to have available to me, I left a much more mature person, and hopefully a better cricketer.”

The Cricketer would like to thank Durant Cricket for their ongoing support of our schools cricket coverage. For more on Durant Cricket, including booking a site visit, please click here