Ben reflects on his big summer so far
It’s been a big summer for Ben Church.
The 18-year-old Academy batter/wicketkeeper has taken the gloves for this season’s Metro Bank One Day Cup.
We caught up with him at the Cooper Associates County Ground this week to discuss his maiden First XI campaign.
“It’s been amazing,” he said. “I’m so fortunate to have had the opportunity to be able to play for Somerset this summer and get some professional cricket experience. It’s been really good.”
“When I found out that I was in the squad it was a bit of a surprise. Obviously, I knew that with several players being involved in The Hundred there would be an opportunity, but it was a surprise and I was excited when I found out.
“It’s a different environment playing in front of the fans and the pressure that comes with that is obviously different. The pace of the game is quicker and obviously there are different challenges, but I haven’t found it too much of a big step up. It’s mainly about managing the pressures that come with playing First XI cricket.
“The role I’ve been playing in the Metro Bank games, coming in later on and looking to finish the innings, is something that I haven’t done a lot of in my career, so as a fairly inexperienced batter in that environment it’s been a challenge. It’s been a really cool experience.”
How does he feel about the way he has performed behind the stumps?
“I haven’t dropped too many catches or missed many stumpings, which I’m pleased with! I’m just trying to be as tidy as possible. I feel like I’ve done my job pretty well, and I’ve had a stumping as well, which was nice to get. Hopefully, there will be a few more stumpings in the games we’ve got left.”
What’s it been like playing at home in front of big crowds?
“It’s an amazing experience to play in front of a packed home crowd at Taunton. I’ve watched so many games here and always dreamt of being able to play here. To go from being a fan watching to actually being out there playing is such a great experience. The win we had under lights against Gloucestershire was just so cool.”
Ben added: “I am definitely enjoying myself at the moment. It’s such a cool experience to have the opportunity to play professional cricket for Somerset.”
