Young Derbyshire cricketer adds to growing reputation with county honour

The 12-year-old showed his bowling potential with 5-18 for club side Denby in June of last year against Chesterfield Barbarians in a Derbyshire County League 8N fixture.

It is another encouraging achievement for the batting all-rounder who was the youngest player to ever record a century in a county age group match with the U11s.

His dad Simon has represented Denby for 23 years and was playing on the day Charlie took five wickets but his wife was there to witness their son re-write a little bit of history.

He said: “It’s a good achievement for him. He’s doing well.

“His first season with Derbyshire was U11s when he got a hundred, the youngest person ever to get a hundred for Derbyshire in his age group.

“He’s always been able to bowl and bat and last year he had more bowling to do and he came on really well. He got the hundred for Derbyshire and the fiver for Denby.”

Birch-Mann junior - a right-arm leg spinner and right-handed batsman - receives top tips from Derbyshire ex-head coach Graeme Welch and ex-county player Ant Botha at the Kaizan Academy.

The Hall Park Academy student is described as “an attacking batsman” and his favourite player is Kevin Pietersen.

And his achievements are building him a reputation within the game.

Birch-Mann senior added: “At the moment he is at Derbyshire, he’s happy there, but you never know where the future might take him.

“He’s come all the way through at Derbyshire with his friends and that’s another factor for him to consider for one so young. We spoke at length and he has made his decision.

“His feet are on the ground. Graeme Welch, who coaches him, says Charlie doesn’t know how good he actually is. That’s just how he (Charlie) is, he doesn’t let it go to his head.”