Travels with Charlie

We caught up with Glamorgan batsman Charlie Hemphrey who is currently playing for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield.

The 30-year-old enjoyed a successful first season with Glamorgan this summer and discusses the birth of his first child, the return of Marnus Labuschagne and putting up Lukas Carey for the winter.

1. How are you getting on back in Australia both on and off the pitch?

Really good! It’s great to have Alastair growing up outside. He is four months old now and able to go swimming and to the beach which is great. 

On the field it’s not been too bad. We’ve had three home games at the Gabba in a row and it’s testing for the batters. It’s a notoriously low scoring ground, but I feel in good knick and a score is doesn’t feel too far away - although I'll save a few for Glamorgan.

2. What are the major differences in style when it comes to playing abroad?

There are lots of differences in the styles of cricket. Obviously there is a lot more bounce in the wickets here (not so much more pace except the WACA) so in county cricket I actually found there was more ways for the bowlers to get you out and more balls hitting the stumps.

In Shield cricket the norm is for bowlers to try and use the bounce and get edge whereas in county cricket traditionally teams go straighter and try and hit the stumps, so that was a learning that took me a while to adjust to but towards the end of the season I felt like I had found a way to combat it...not as quickly as Marnus did though!!

3. What’s your reaction to Matt being named as head coach?

It’s fantastic news that Matt is going to be head coach for the next three years.  Personally, coming from a different environment it was important I had people to ask questions to and seek advice and Matt was excellent at that.  His depth of knowledge of the game is as good as I've come across. 

That aside he is also a bloody good bloke who develops strong relationships with his players and importantly gives the player a huge amount of confidence to go out and succeed at their game. I have always known Marnus is a fine player but it’s no coincidence that he had so much success working under Matt and the environment really brought out the best in him. We are lucky to have him.

4. Speaking of Marnus, he’s just signed as our overseas player. How big a coup is that for the club?

It’s wonderful news! We have all seen what a fantastic player he has turned into since the start of his time at Glamorgan and unfortunately for the opposition bowlers he will continue to get better and better.  We actually sit next to each other here in Queensland and often end up talking about Glamorgan, the great time we had and how we are looking forward to next season and hopefully going one better and get promotion. 

I know how much he loved his first stint in Cardiff, and was so happy that he made such an impact on and off the field, and he'll be back at the start of the season looking to better his achievements of last year.

5. Lukas will be joining you for the winter. What do you think the benefits will be for him as bowler and a person?

Yeah it’s a good opportunity for Lukas to come out to a new environment, lead the bowling attack at my club side and learn how to bowl in different conditions with the heat and bounce etc.

We all know what a naturally talented bowler he is, and on his day, as threatening as any in the country.  It will also be good for him to travel, see some different parts of the world and be develop that way. Brisbane is looking forward to getting a touch of the 'Bont' for the summer.