James Harris
James Harris is the hottest teenage property in English county cricket. At 17, he became Metro Cricketer of the Year and was shortlisted for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year Award.
The right-arm medium-fast bowler signed a contract with Glamorgan in 2006 when he was just 15. He led the England U16 team on their tour to South Africa and came back to make his county debut at just 16.
Being one of the youngest ever players in county cricket is enough to mark you out as a little bit special. But few would have expected him to do what he did in Glamorgan’s game against Gloucestershire.
In a match that began on his 17th birthday - necessitating his mum to cancel his first driving lesson - Harris ripped through the top order. Ian Fisher went first (clean bowled), then Kadeer Ali was caught and bowled.
Harris then accounted for the batsmen at three and four before taking three tail-end wickets to finish with figures of 7 for 66. In the second innings, Harris added another five wickets, to end the game with figures of 12 for 118.
That stunning performance put him in the record books as the youngest ever to get a 10-wicket Championship haul, eclipsing Somerset's Brian Langford.
While observers were eulogising about his bowling figures, Harris decided that it was about time we saw how effective he was with the bat.
Batting at number 10 in the order, Harris joined Robert Croft at the crease with the score at 193 for 8. The pair took the score to 378 before Croft succumbed. With Dean Cosker showing admirable form, there was a chance that Harris might become the youngest ever Championship centurion. Eventually, he was left stranded on 87 not out, but Harris has shown in a short period that he is adept at working out what’s best for his cricketing career.
Harris finished his debut season as a pro ranked 16th in the County Championship bowling averages, taking 33 wickets at an average of 23.93. This put him ahead of seasoned internationals such as Monty Panesar (26.66) and the bowling legend, Shane Warne (29.58).
Injury and A levels limited Harris' appearances for Glamorgan during 2008, however, whenever he played, his exceptional talent was clearly evident. Harris became the youngest player ever to be handed the responsibility of bowling the final over in a 20/20 championship game.
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Personal details
Date of birth: 16 May 1990
Place of birth: Morriston, Swansea
Height: 1.83m
Honours and achievements
2008: Represented England in the U19 World Cup in Malaysia
2007: Shortlisted for BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year
2007: Metro Cricketer of the Year
2007: Took 12 wickets for 118 runs against Gloucestershire
2006: Captained England U16 on their tour to South Africa
2006: Signs for Glamorgan