Born in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, Thomas Benjamin Huggins is the Men’s Batting Coach at Essex County Cricket Club, a role he has held since April 2019. He is known for his strong technical knowledge, his work in developing players, and his ability to create a positive and productive environment for batters across all formats.
Huggins began his cricket career with Cambridgeshire, where he made his List A debut in 2002 before moving to Northamptonshire in 2003. Tom made his first-class debut for Northants that same year against Cambridge University, and went on to make his County Championship debut in 2004 against Lancashire. Between 2003 and 2005, Huggins represented Northamptonshire in 11 first-class matches, including a fixture against the touring Bangladeshis.
In his 11 first-class appearances, Tom scored 403 runs, registering two half-centuries and a highest score of 82 not out. He also played seven List A and six T20 matches during his time at Wantage Road. In 2006, Huggins moved to Suffolk, where he amassed 19 centuries and 31 half-centuries, scoring just under 7,000 runs at an average of 42.26, establishing himself as one of the leading batters in the Suffolk setup.
In 2016, Tom “Huggy” Huggins joined Essex County Cricket Club as Talent & Pathway Manager, overseeing the Academy and age-group programmes, working with emerging players, and helping to bridge the transition into the senior squad.
In April 2019, Huggins was promoted to Men’s Batting Coach, taking responsibility for the batting performance of the senior side. Throughout various One Day Cup campaigns, Huggins has also led the group as Head Coach, guiding the team through the tournament with a focus on player development and performance excellence.
For the 2023 Hundred campaign, Tom Huggins was Assistant Coach for the London Spirit.
