Essex County Cricket Club can today confirm that Tom Westley has been appointed Club Captain.
The 30-year-old is an Essex Academy graduate and will captain the side across the County Championship and Royal London Cup, with Simon Harmer continuing to skipper the Essex Eagles in the Vitality Blast.
The top-order batsman has made 152 first-class, 80 List A and 74 T20 appearances for the Club since making his debut in 2006 and follows in the footsteps of the likes of Keith Fletcher, Graham Gooch and Nasser Hussain in becoming a homegrown Essex Club Captain.
On his appointment, Westley said: “It’s a real honour for me to be named Club Captain and it’s a challenge that I’m really looking forward to.
“I’ve been with the Club since I was 13 and I can’t really put into words how much this means to me. I’ve spent my whole career with Essex so it’s a really proud moment for me and my family.
“Ryan has done an outstanding job and deserves every bit of praise he gets. He’s been a fantastic Captain, a close friend and an excellent leader who I’ve learnt a lot from.
“We’ve been so successful as a Club under his guidance, and my main goal as Captain is to continue the great work he’s done, carry on winning games of cricket and ultimately bring more trophies to this great Club.”
Tom Westley Takes The Reins (Part One):
Essex Head Coach Anthony McGrath added: “As well as being an excellent cricketer, Tom is also a natural leader both in the dressing room and out on the field.
“He’s been Vice-Captain for a number of years and when he’s been asked to step up in Ryan’s absence, he’s always demonstrated his strong leadership qualities and has shown how important he is to this side.
“He’s come through the Essex Academy and has all the attributes to be a successful Captain. Going forward, he’ll have the likes of Ryan [ten Doeschate], Alastair [Cook] and Simon [Harmer] to lean on if needed and we’re all looking forward to seeing how things progress under his captaincy.”
Tom Westley Takes The Reins (Part Two):
