All-rounder Dan Douthwaite’s journey on the first-class circuit has been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride.
The 22-year-old, who was born in Surrey, has taken a route less travelled to arrive at Glamorgan after signing at the start of the summer following stints with Warwickshire and Cardiff MCCU.
And when he did make his debut for the Welsh County in the Royal London One-Day Cup this week, he was involved in one of the more bizarre incidents after being ‘dismissed’ three times in the same innings.
Douthwaite was first stumped off a wide against and had begun his walk back to the pavilion when he was called back for a no-ball, because Gloucestershire did not have enough fielders inside the circle. He was then caught off the subsequent free hit.
He was, finally, legitimately dismissed when he was caught at long-off as Glamorgan posted 331 for seven on way to a 74-run win at Bristol that helped keep their slim hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the 50-over competition alive.
“I was told that I was the first person to have been dismissed three times on debut,” he said.
“But it was good to get out there in front of a crowd and I did manage to hit a boundary before the legitimate dismissal saw me on my way.”
Despite his own limited yet eventful contribution, Douthwaite says the highlight of his debut was watching an “unbelievable” 234-run partnership between captain Chris Cooke and Billy Root.
“I was naturally pleased to watch Cooky and Rooty go about it the way they did,” he said.
“A 200 partnership in any kind of format is ridiculous, so it was a pleasure to watch.”
Douthwaite appeared in one List A fixture for Warwickshire last season before he began this summer with a flourish for Cardiff MCCU, striking a rapid first-class century against Sussex, followed by 95 against his current employers.
Signed by the Welsh county on the back of those performances he is now looking to establish himself at Sophia Gardens.
Douthwaite could be forgiven for feeling the nerves so early in his stint with Glamorgan, but he says that his solitary appearance for Warwickshire last year stood him in good stead for his bow in Bristol.
“I think I was a lot more nervous this time last year making my List A debut for Warwickshire than I was at Bristol, and I happy that I could go into it with a fresh mind and look forward to it,” he said.
The right-handed all-rounder has not had too much time to reflect on his return to the first-class circuit before being thrown in at the deep end.
“It’s all happened pretty quickly,” he said.
“I was a bit shocked when I got offered a deal, but it came off the back of a few good university performances in the first-class fixtures. There were chats going on before the Glamorgan game, and after I struck 95 against them, they offered me a deal, which was a no-brainer.
“I love being in Cardiff and I’m happy to commit my future to them. It’s a great changing room to come into as a fresh face. Everyone’s really welcoming and it helps that we’re winning.
“That’s really good, and we still have a slim chance of going through - it’s a good changing room to be part of and confidence is high.”
Glamorgan’s next match is against Middlesex on Sunday at Lord’s and Douthwaite is hopeful of playing a part.
“There are a lot of people knocking for places, so I can only hope that I can play again,” he said. “We’ll have to wait and see.”
Article written by Alun Rhys Chivers on behalf of the ECB's Reporters Network