Reece Topley
Encyclopedia
Reece James William Topley (born 12 February 1994) is an English
cricket
er. Topley is a right-handed batsman who bowls left-arm medium-fast
. He was born in Ipswich
, Suffolk
and was educated at the Royal Hospital School
.
Topley made the headlines in June 2009 when he was injured bowling in the nets
at Loughborough University to England batsman Kevin Pietersen
. Pietersen flat drove a delivery, which ended up striking Topley on the side of the head and knocking him out. He was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary
where he required stitches to his ear and was kept in hospital overnight. Following the incident, Pietersen who Topley cites as his favourite player, gave him his cricket bat
with his signature on.
A product of the Essex youth cricket system, Topley made his first-class
debut for Essex
against Cambridge MCCU
in the 2011 season
. He impressed on County Championship
debut against Kent
, taking his maiden five wicket haul when he took figures of 5/46 in Kent's second-innings of the match. In the following championship match against Middlesex
he his second five wicket haul, with figures of 5/64 in Middlesex's first-innings. In May 2011, he signed a one year professional contract with Essex. That month also saw Topley make his List A debut against the Unicorns in the Clydesdale Bank 40
, with Topley claiming his maiden wicket in that format, that of Robin Lett
.
Mid-season Topley took a break from county cricket
to return to Royal Hospital School to revise for his summer exams. However, during his break he was called up to play for England Under-19s for their Youth One Day International series against South Africa Under-19s. He returned to action for Essex in August, to date he has played two List A matches and nine first-class matches. He has made a good start to his first-class career, taking to date 34 wickets at an average
of 23.55. The start to his career drew praise from former England captain Michael Vaughan
, who stated that Topley could become a future Test
cricketer.
His father, Don Topley
, was a first-class cricketer for Essex and Surrey
. His father is also one of his teachers at Royal Hospital School, where he is a master of cricket. His uncle, Peter Topley, was also a first-class cricketer.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er. Topley is a right-handed batsman who bowls left-arm medium-fast
Seam bowling
Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers....
. He was born in Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
and was educated at the Royal Hospital School
Royal Hospital School
The Royal Hospital School, , is a British co-educational independent boarding school with naval traditions. It admits pupils from age 11 to 18 through Common Entrance or the school's own exam...
.
Topley made the headlines in June 2009 when he was injured bowling in the nets
Cricket nets
Cricket nets are practice nets used by batsmen and bowlers to warm up and/or improve their cricketing techniques. Cricket nets consist of a cricket pitch which is enclosed by cricket nets on either side, to the rear and optionally the roof. The bowling end of the net is left open...
at Loughborough University to England batsman Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Peter Pietersen, MBE is a South African-born English cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who plays for England and Surrey...
. Pietersen flat drove a delivery, which ended up striking Topley on the side of the head and knocking him out. He was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary
Leicester Royal Infirmary
The Leicester Royal Infirmary is a large National Health Service hospital in Leicester, England. It is located to the south-west of the city centre. It has Leicester's accident and emergency department, and is part of the University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust.The hospital was originally...
where he required stitches to his ear and was kept in hospital overnight. Following the incident, Pietersen who Topley cites as his favourite player, gave him his cricket bat
Cricket bat
A cricket bat is a specialised piece of equipment used by batsmen in the sport of cricket to hit the ball. It is usually made of willow wood. Its use is first mentioned in 1624....
with his signature on.
A product of the Essex youth cricket system, Topley made his first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut for Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
against Cambridge MCCU
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
in the 2011 season
2011 English cricket season
The 2011 English cricket season began on 2 April with a round of university matches, and will continue until the final of the Clydesdale Bank 40 on 17 September. Three major domestic competitions are contested: the 2011 County Championship, the 2011 Clydesdale Bank 40 and the 2011 Friends Life t20...
. He impressed on County Championship
2011 County Championship
The 2011 County Championship season, known as the LV County Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the 112th cricket County Championship season. It is contested through two divisions: Division One and Division Two. Each team plays all the others in their division both home and away...
debut against Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
, taking his maiden five wicket haul when he took figures of 5/46 in Kent's second-innings of the match. In the following championship match against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
he his second five wicket haul, with figures of 5/64 in Middlesex's first-innings. In May 2011, he signed a one year professional contract with Essex. That month also saw Topley make his List A debut against the Unicorns in the Clydesdale Bank 40
2011 Clydesdale Bank 40
The 2011 Clydesdale Bank 40 tournament is the second season of the Clydesdale Bank 40 limited overs cricket competition for the England and Wales first-class counties...
, with Topley claiming his maiden wicket in that format, that of Robin Lett
Robin Lett
Robin Lett is an English cricketer who plays for Somerset. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional right-arm medium pace bowler. He was educated at Millfield School....
.
Mid-season Topley took a break from county cricket
County cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
to return to Royal Hospital School to revise for his summer exams. However, during his break he was called up to play for England Under-19s for their Youth One Day International series against South Africa Under-19s. He returned to action for Essex in August, to date he has played two List A matches and nine first-class matches. He has made a good start to his first-class career, taking to date 34 wickets at an average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 23.55. The start to his career drew praise from former England captain Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan
Michael Paul Vaughan OBE is a retired cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England. A classically elegant right-handed batsman and occasional off-spinner, Vaughan was ranked one of the best batsmen in the world following the 2002/3 Ashes, in which he scored 633 runs, including three centuries...
, who stated that Topley could become a future Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
cricketer.
His father, Don Topley
Don Topley
Thomas Donald Topley known as Don Topley or Toppers is a former English cricketer. Employed with the ground staff at Lord's Cricket Ground in London in 1984, he was recruited as a substitute fielder for one Test match involving England, before a brief appearance for Norfolk and Surrey led to a...
, was a first-class cricketer for Essex and Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
. His father is also one of his teachers at Royal Hospital School, where he is a master of cricket. His uncle, Peter Topley, was also a first-class cricketer.
External links
- Reece Topley at ESPNcricinfo
- Reece Topley at CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...