James Rew and a feat beyond his years

SAM DALLING: The 19-year-old Somerset wicketkeeper-batter went to the landmark of 1,000 County Championship runs for the season last week, an extraordinary effort by a teenager in his first full season of professional cricket

"Yeah, I was actually," replies James Rew, a beaming grin appearing. The query is as to his awareness of one moment, a single taken from a push to cover. Just a run, but it was Rew's 1,000th of the red-ball summer. Becoming the first to reach the milestone in the County Championship's top-tier is a remarkable feat in itself, then you remember that Rew is a 19-year-old in his first full season.

"I was counting down in the Northants game the week before," Rew continues. "I knew I needed 48 and was hoping to get them. But then I thought: 'I need 26 now and it would be really nice to get them in a home game.'"

Five in the first innings against Surrey left Rew requiring 21 last Thursday. "Being on 20 felt like being on 99," he says. "Last year Abes (Tom Abell) got 1,000 and I remember the announcement on the big screen. I was like: 'Wow, that's so special for him. It's an unbelievable achievement.' I just don't remember it even crossing my mind that it could happen to me. It was very special."

Rew is chatting to The Cricketer less than 24 hours later. As he sips an iced latte (with caramel syrup – don't tell the coaches) Rew is reminded that precisely a year ago he was making his maiden County Championship hundred at Chelmsford.

He now has half a dozen, including a quite magnificent 221 against Hampshire, plus three fifties. Rew's exceptional conversion rate makes his next admission somewhat surprising. "I was never really that good at converting growing up – I used to get a lot of fifties and not many 100s." He has, for example, never made a century for his club, Taunton St Andrews, although his teammates speak warmly about his dressing room presence.

^{Rew now has six first-class centuries to his name (Harry Trump/Getty Images)}

His champions (of whom there are many) though, are not simply drawn to his volume of runs; it is how Rew has made them that has really piqued interest. He has displayed a temperament batting at six that belies his years. Of his five centuries this summer, only once has he arrived at the crease with Somerset having more than 139 runs on the board.

Now coaches tend to prefer trickling cold waters on younger players publicly, keen to dampen the external pressure. But Jason Kerr, Somerset’s head coach, says Rew is "ridiculously good. When he bats, he doesn't look 19. Although if you see him in the dressing room, trust me, he's 19! The minute he steps out there though, he's in a league of his own. I can't stress how well he's played, the decisions he makes".

Rew has soaked up 2,044 balls, 232 more than Tom Westley who has batted three more times. Josh Bohannon is next, some 701 deliveries behind Rew. "I guess playing on the biggest stage just keeps your concentration for longer," Rew responds when asked how he has adapted.

"You can't lose concentration when you're playing against the best bowlers in the country. That's all it is really and playing in front of the crowd. They support Somerset so strongly – you just want to do it for them really."

Division One contains some fine attacks, although he admits to preferring out-and-out pace to the more traditional 'wobble-it-about' English seamer. He "hated" the Middlesex attack of Ethan Bamber, Tim Murtagh and Ryan Higgins.

Extra special moments to date include a pair of centuries against a Lancashire attack containing James Anderson, who supposedly had a few choice words for Rew when he was eventually dismissed.

"I've seen him on TV my whole life growing up. He's been playing Test cricket longer than I've been alive. To play against him was surreal. You look up and it's Jimmy Anderson at the top of his mark – you're like: 'Wow.' But as soon as he started running in, I tried to focus on all my pre-delivery stuff."

^{Rew has enjoyed a remarkable summer (Harry Trump/Getty Images)}

After 40 minutes with Rew, it is plainly obvious he lives for playing sport. He is not a big watcher; no time for that. Cricket, golf, squash, tennis, hockey, rugby – he will play everything and anything. Even holidays usually revolve around the golf course. Could that have been a viable alternative?

"I'd have to work on my game a lot." Handicap? "I'm off scratch." Right. "I'd have a long way to go. I just enjoy playing with my mates, really. I played a few competitions growing up but never really took it seriously – I just played because they were there, and I had a free day!"

That innocent enthusiasm is one of Rew's most endearing qualities. Sure, he strives to be the best, but he genuinely just loves playing. That remains the case now. And so, turning professional was never closer than his peripheral vision.

Not when he was added to Somerset's Elite Player Programme aged 12 – "obviously you take every opportunity you get as a youngster" – and not when he was promoted to Somerset's academy. "I still saw cricket as just a hobby, just something I did for fun – play with my mates. I never thought I was going to play any sport professionally. I just played them all because I love them all. I've always been big on being outside!"

But that all changed in the 2021 summer. Rew made his first-class debut for a County Select XI against the touring Indians at Chester-Le-Street. A sharp bit of work to stump Cheteshwar Pujara brought some initial attention, and a fortnight later he signed a short-term Somerset contract that covered the domestic 50-over competition. He played twice and "at that point I realised I'm in the squad, I’m playing for Somerset, maybe this is something I can do in the future?' It all happened really quickly."

Rew still had A-Levels to complete, though – tricky given he spent much of the winter on tour with England Under-19s. That culminated with a World Cup final defeat to India in the Caribbean.

^{Rew's teammate have got used to watching the left-hander bat (Harry Trump/Getty Images)}

Rew made 95 in the final, but playing alongside lifelong friend George Thomas is his lasting memory. The pair started nursery together and suddenly were both representing Somerset and England. "I still can't really believe we've come the whole way together though – it's really special." Such is their friendship, Rew shrugs off Thomas' attempt to disrupt the interview with a phone call. "Who is that?" A quick glance at the phone. "Oh, it's just George Thomas, he can wait!"

Post-World Cup, conversations began with Andy Hurry, Somerset's director of cricket, about a full contract. Initially, it was agreed he would sign at the end of the 2022 season. But when Steve Davies fell ill ahead of an April match with Essex, Rew's contract was fast-tracked.

As it was, Davies recovered sufficiently and Rew concentrated on earning A*AAB in his exams. Soon after, a County Championship debut at Southport followed. "That was probably quite good. It didn't feel like a massive occasion. If it had been Old Trafford, then I probably would have felt a bit more pressure." Rew made 70 first up before a 111-ball 23 helped secure a draw.

Although his rise since has been steep, family has kept Rew grounded. It is dad, Chris, who is the sports fanatic, although his mum, Debbie, has learned to love it.

Is it true dad coached you? Stifled laughter: "He tried to… he thinks he did. He used to throw balls at me when I was a youngster."

Instead, after explaining he learned much from the simplicity of Iman-ul-Haq's game during a Taunton spell last September, Rew reels off a list of coaches he owes debts of gratitude to: Paul Tweddle – poetically Rew's Somerset Under-10s coach and now coach of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup squad that he will vice-captain; Greg Kennis; Steve Snell; Matt Drakeley; Rob Woodman; Phil Lewis (or Mr Lewis as Rew initially refers to him in a salient reminder that he is still a teenager).

The first quartet are, or have, all been involved at Somerset; the latter pair are from King's, a school that counts Tom Banton, Will Smeed and Jos Buttler as alumni. Dad was also schooled there: "He captained King's which is his claim to fame – he averaged 12 with the bat though, so…"

^{Rew celebrates his double hundred against Hampshire with Shoaib Bashir (Harry Trump/Getty Images)}

His parents have watched almost every game he has played in, although must now split their time evenly to ensure both get to see enough of James and younger sibling Thomas. "Dad loves taking photos of every game," Rew explains. "He takes like 1,000 a day and then in the evening goes through them all, prints them and puts them into photo books. I think he's got about four hard-drives full and books for each two or three months."

Initially, it was family snaps only but now "he will put together a little folder for the St Andrews boys and send them out into the group chat".

Rew is also close to brother Thomas, himself already playing in Somerset's second team. The pair push each other hard: "He's very competitive and so am I." Again, Rew is laughing. "It's good to have that competition. I'm four years older but he still thinks he can compete at everything. The squash court is where it gets the tastiest. It can get a bit physical, a bit heated.

"He gives me a better game now – although we've not played in a while – but he still thinks he can beat me. He'll get angry when he can't."

But what happens when one day he can? "It won't happen for the next few years…hopefully!"

By then, Rew could conceivably be a full international. Barring injury, he will surely travel again with England Lions this winter – he was with them in Sri Lanka in February 2023, having spent a few months playing grade cricket with North Sydney CC.

The Test tour to India though is not impossible, although in Rew's words, "I'm a long way from the team with the style they are playing". Instead, he is focused on breaking into Somerset's title-winning Blast side next summer. He played the second-team T20 competition earlier this year and enjoyed "working out how to manipulate the field, trying to sweep seamers, get a bit funky with it. I can't really crash it down the ground as well as other people".

^{Rew reached his 1,000th run at Taunton against Surrey (Harry Trump/Getty Images)}

"I don't think I've ever run down the track and hit someone for six. I don't really hit the ball straight, unless I've got my eye in a little bit – you might see the occasional straight drive for two…if you're lucky! I need to develop my range-hitting and get a bit more confident with my skills."

Currently Rew is Somerset's first choice gloveman but, inevitably, there are already questions as to a move up the order. Juxtaposed with that is a decision as to whether to pursue wicketkeeping, with Jordan Cox, Jamie Smith and Oli Robinson among his peers.

And that is before considering Ben Foakes, who Rew watched carefully at Taunton last week. "It was so special to watch," he says. "He makes it look very easy. Just how relaxed he is. His body language – he makes it look incredibly easy; he covers so much ground. He seems to move so early that he knows where the ball is going.

"Dan Worrall was bowling at me from around the wicket, away swingers. And he fires this massive in-ducker down the leg side. I fell over because it swung so much – I turned around and Foakes was already there. Little roll but not a full stretch dive. He moves so early…it's like he knows what is coming."

For now, though, Rew doesn't want to change too much. And who can blame him?