Ben Charlesworth signs two-year contract extension at Gloucestershire
25 October 2024
Batter Ben Charlesworth has signed a two-year contract extension at Gloucestershire through to the end of the 2026 season.
The 23-year-old top-order batter impressed across all formats for Gloucestershire in 2024, providing match-winning performances in both the T20 Vitality Blast and the County Championship Division Two. A mainstay in Mark Alleyne’s red and white ball sides this season, Charlesworth scored 1,084 in 2024 and with his agility in the field, is an instrumental figure in Shire’s impressive fielding unit.
Charlesworth, whose younger brother Luke also plays for Gloucestershire, made his first-team debut for Shire in 2018 having been given time off from his A level studies by St Edwards School in Oxford. During that season he scored two half centuries from nine innings, including a 77* in the County Championship vs Middlesex.
In the years that have followed Charlesworth has gone on to make 92 appearances for Gloucestershire across all competitions, accruing more than 3,000 runs in the process.
Speaking of his delight at extending his time at Gloucestershire for a further two seasons, Ben said: “As a team we have shown this season that we have a squad that can go up against the best in the country. This really excites me and I hope I can continue to contribute towards more success for the Club over the next two years. It’s an exciting time to be a Gloster and I’m really looking forward to what’s to come.”
Opening alongside Cameron Bancroft in the County Championship Division Two in 2024, Charlesworth experienced the best run-scoring red ball campaign of his career so far, scoring 723 runs from 11 innings at an average of 48.20. It was also during last season that Charlesworth scored his career-best first-class score, a massive 210 off 311 balls against Leicestershire.
In T20 cricket, Charlesworth exhibited his explosive ball-striking as a middle-order batter, twice combining with Ollie Price to provide the final blows in victories over Somerset in Bristol and Taunton. Scoring 221 runs in the Blast this season, Charlesworth finished the campaign with an impressive strike rate of 146.35.
Charlesworth also contributed in the One Day Cup campaign, playing in eight matches and achieving a season-best of 53 against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.
Mark Alleyne, Head Coach at Gloucestershire Cricket, commented: “It’s really great news that Ben has extended with us. He will be a big part of our future especially after scoring his maiden hundred swiftly followed by his maiden double century in the Championship this season.
“Ben has the tremendous ability to impact games in the white ball format with a special hitting ability that makes him a versatile batter that every team needs.
“I expect Ben will also contribute with the ball as we go forward and it just highlights what a fabulous cricketer he is. I look forward to seeing Ben continue to flourish for Gloucestershire over the next couple of years.”
