Chris Dent

Chris Dent is fast becoming the next big thing in cricket. A left-hand batsman and left arm spinner by trade he is also a gifted wicket keeper. Chris currently plays for Thornbury Cricket Club and represents Gloucestershire County Cricket Club at 2nd XI and as a result of his two year professional contact with GCCC signed in August 2009, will also represent and train at 1st XI level.

By the age of 14, Chris had represented both North Somerset and Gloucestershire in county matches and was selected for Gloucestershire’s county academy for elite young cricketers.

Chris’s participation in the academy has given him the opportunity to receive top class coaching from some of the cricketing world’s best players; former Gloucestershire and England wicket keeper Jack Russell, Steve Adshead and John Lewis to name a few. His involvement is reaping the benefits and the young cricketer’s game continues to excel.

His career to date has seen him honour various awards such as ‘player of the year’ on numerous counts at Cleeve and Thornbury Cricket Clubs. Further to this, he was the youngest player to make the Cleeve first team at only the age of fourteen and even younger, scored half a century for senior teams at Cleeve Cricket Club. As well as representing teams at a county level, he has made a variety of appearances for the Bristol and District League. Chris was also lucky enough to be selected as the ‘Johnners Scholar’ for the Brian Johnston Memorial trust; a charity that aids gifted young cricketers and gives them the opportunity to reach full potential at a county and national level.

The past year has seen Chris develop his left arm spin bowling after being a specialist wicketkeeper for the past few years. He has had the chance to develop his mental and physical aspects of high level cricket training at Filton College and the Gloucestershire Academy and toured in St. Kitts in the Caribbean.

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It has been a fantastic few months for the now professional Gloucestershire CCC player.

At the start of October, Chris flew out to Bangladesh with the England under-19 squad.

He earned a trial to play for the under-19s against county second teams in a series of one-day games in September, and impressed enough to be selected for the tour along with county team-mate David Payne.

Chris impressed despite the England Under-19s two-wicket defeat to their Bangladesh counterparts in the first Test in Chittagong.

It was the first time Chris has been involved in the England setup at any level. He spent a month in Bangladesh with the under-19s, playing a two-day preparation game, one four-day test match and seven one-day Internationals.

Back in county cricket, was offered his debut in the final Pro40 game of the season against Nottinghamshire, but unfortunately didn’t get to bat as Gloucestershire beat Nottinghamshire by nine wickets at the Trent Bridge ground.

Chris was awarded the academy player of the year award from his county at the end of season presentation ceremony.

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