Tom Cosford quick to make impact at Horspath

Tom Cosford shows a sound defensive technique

NEW recruit Tom Cosford has, by his own admission, lived something of a nomadic existence in his cricketing career so far.

With education and work taking him around the country, the 25-year-old all-rounder has played league cricket at five clubs in six years, before joining Horspath this season. "Hopefully I will be around for more than two seasons," he said wryly after training as he reflected on a cricketing journey, which has taken him from his native Derbyshire up to Sunderland, back to Derby and then on to Cambridge, before arriving at the Recreation Ground this season.

And if early impressions are anything to go then his assessment of how things may pan out could well be spot-on. For not only has Tom quickly taken to his new surroundings, but his destructive batting and tidy off-spin bowling have been well received by his teammates and the club. He produced a man-of-the-match display with 55 from 35 balls and 3-10 in the Home Counties Premier League Twenty20 first-round win over Thame Town. And then he hit an unbeaten 45 to help steer Horspath to a six-wicket victory at Burnham in their Division 1 opener.

"I am enjoying it immensely," he said. "It is a real proper cricket club. There are a good amount of teams and they play hard and enjoy the social side, which is really good. The club is run professionally. I have only been here for six weeks, but I can see that the joy and passion of playing for the club is huge."

Tom, who played junior cricket at Ticknall, spent his schooldays at the prestigious Repton School in Derbyshire, where he won the Cricket Society's Wetherell Award as the school's leading all-rounder in 2010. He was also a member of the Repton side captained by former Derbyshire wicket-keeper Tom Poynton, which won the National Schools Twenty20 competition. They beat Dulwich in the final at Wormsley to cap a run, which had seen them defeat King's College Taunton, who included Joss Buttler, in the semi-final, after wins over a Shrewsbury side, which featured James Taylor, and Rugby, who included Horspath's Kit Cutter.

It was then his travels started as he went to the University of Sunderland, and had a season with South Hetton in the North East Durham League Division 1. The following year he joined Elvaston in Derbyshire County League Division 1, scoring 514 runs at an average of 32.13, with four half-centuries, including a top score of an unbeaten 93. He also took 17 wickets at 23.71. Twelve months later, Spondon offered him the opportunity to step up to the Premier Division, and Tom responded by scoring 376 runs at an average of 19.79, with two fifties, including a quickfire knock of 81 not out.

Work as a special needs teacher then took him to Cambridge where he played for Histon in the Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Premier League Division 1 for two seasons. He was the club's top run scorer in 2014 with 598 runs at an average of 35.18, with six fifties and a top score of 95. He also picked up 22 wickets at 20.77, with best figures of 4-38. Tom shone again the following campaign with 505 runs at an average of 50.50 and a strike rate of 131.91. He hit four fifties, including a top score of an unbeaten 90, and took 26 wickets at 17.19, with a best return of 5-22.

He then started teacher training last year at the Cherwell School, and travelled home to play the second half of the season, with his younger brother, Luke, at Walton-on Trent in Derbyshire County League Division 2. In just eight games, he became the second highest runscorer with 350 at an average of 43.75, including four fifties and 102 in the last game of the season.

Tom, who also plays for wandering club Free Foresters, then got a job at St Nicholas Primary School in Marston in September at the time when Horspath skipper Will Eason was moving on, taking over the PE duties as well as becoming a Year 3 teacher. And Will, who had been made aware of Tom by former Horspath player Andy Wynd after he had played hockey with him at Oxford HC, was delighted to invite him down to the club.

"He looks an exciting player," said the Horspath captain. "Technically he is very sound. Obviously he likes to get himself in and then picks it up later on. I think he is going to add a lot to our team. He bowls off-spin and he looks difficult to play because he varies his pace so much, and from a captain's point of view you can set a field to him and he bowls to a plan."

Posted by: Russ