Glamorgan's English-born Player "Not Worth" Playing

 

England-born batsman Charlie Hemphrey is not returning to Glamorgan after failing to overturn his classification as a non-England-qualified player.

The final year of his county contract has been terminated by mutual consent.

After playing for Queensland, he would not be eligible for England until 2022 - which would mean Glamorgan being penalised financially for picking him.

"I don't know what else I could do to fight it," admitted Doncaster-born Hemphrey, 31, who remains in Australia.

Counties are permitted to field two overseas players per match, but receive incentive payments from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) if they average nine England-qualified players.

So while there was no bar to the Welsh county selecting Hemphrey alongside two overseas players, they stood to lose around £70,000 in ECB payments if they did.

Australia's Marnus Labuschagne and Michael Neser, South Africa's Colin Ingram and Ireland's Andrew Balbirnie are filling Glamorgan's two permitted overseas slots between them in 2021.

Hemphrey could not originally find a county deal but saw his career bloom in Brisbane after moving there to work as an airport baggage handler.

He played for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield for five seasons, initially as a domestic player, before switching to being an overseas player in 2018-19 - but has fallen foul of an ECB regulation designed to stop players counting as "domestic" in two countries.

"They're effectively classifying me as someone who was born and raised in another country, whereas I lived in England until I was 24 and I'm English," Hemphrey told BBC Sport.

"I shouldn't have to qualify, they won't show any discretion for my case which I think is wrong."

Hemphrey was a Championship and One-Day Cup regular for Glamorgan in 2019, averaging over 30 in first-class cricket as an opening batsman and top-scoring with 87 in a limited-overs match at Lord's.

But amid off-field worries, he was dropped from the first team after three four-day appearances in 2020, with the season slashed to less than two months by the coronavirus pandemic.

"I averaged 10 but had a hell of a lot going on off the field, with my wife and kid who physically couldn't get back to Australia. We ended up paying $20,000 to get home," said Hemphrey.

"I was coming and going from [his parents' home in] Kent to Cardiff, trying to open the batting. There was too much going on so I got dropped."

Hemphrey says he is not angry or bitter over his plight, and does not criticise Glamorgan for their actions, but is disappointed with the ECB's approach.

"I loved playing for Glamorgan, I had a brilliant time there," he said.

"There's no bitterness, I'm lucky to have made it last as long as I did. To play county cricket, and play Sheffield Shield cricket against Steve Smith, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins... playing well at Lord's [top-scoring in a One-Day Cup game] was a good one."

The ECB says it applies criteria for England qualification "with fairness and consistency" and that players can be eligible for their counties even if not England-qualified.

It points out that Hemphrey and Glamorgan were aware of the rules when he signed.

An example of an "unqualified" domestic player in county cricket would be Barbados-born pace bowler Jofra Archer, who debuted for Sussex in 2016 and was not classed as "overseas" as he held a UK passport, but he did not qualify to play for England until 2019.

Glamorgan director of cricket Mark Wallace explained: "The incentives for fielding home-qualified cricketers are greater than ever, and we were open and honest with Charlie in telling him that it would have to be a consideration in selection.

"We finally agreed that we would shake hands on the rest of his contract. Charlie has been a hugely positive influence at the club, and everyone at Glamorgan wishes him and his family well for the future."

Hemphrey has not has his Queensland contract renewed and is coaching at a private school in Brisbane while planning further studies himself, at the end of an unusual professional career. BBCSport