Charlie Macdonell says his first-class debut was a very proud moment and he is hoping for plenty more of them with Derbyshire as he looks to secure his spot in the first XI.
The 21-year-old made his Specsavers County Championship debut against Essex in August, scoring 21 and 35 not out in the match.
He earned the call-up after performing well for the Second XI, scoring 290 runs at an average of 48, and in the List A match versus Sri Lanka A in 2016 – and he’s now looking to secure a consistent place in the county’s first team this summer after signing a one-year deal in October.
Macdonell said: “Training is going very well for me. I am in every day doing 8am to 6pm most days and making the most of my time.
“I am really enjoying it and I feel like I am almost ready now. We’re just getting into game scenarios and doing some planning in my head, figuring out how I am going to go about my methods during the season to do as well as I can.
He added: “I think Mal and Stubbo are working very well together. They bring two different styles but the group sessions we have been doing have been really helpful.
“There have been some eye-opening drills, very testing drills that I don’t think many of the players have done before, so it’s giving us things to work on.
“Playing with the higher standard of players in general also helps, but everybody here are top quality players so that’s going to bring my game on.
“Having the full winter to work on my skills against top players and getting the right advice off people like Wayne Madsen and Billy Godleman helps a lot when you are a player coming through as they have a lot of experience and knowledge, so you can get some great advice from them.”
He concluded: “As a team, I hope we can push for some trophies as I think we have got the squad. It’s just bringing it all together which I think is happening gradually over the winter so we can get hit the ground running.
“We really gel as a squad and want to put some good performances in. Personally, I want to pile on the runs and take a few wickets with my off-spin as I feel I am capable of doing really well at this level.
“Now it’s just about getting in there and scoring lots of runs and taking some wickets. I think I have what it takes to do very well across all the formats of the game so I just look forward to taking my opportunity when it comes and to solidify a place in the squad is my aim.”
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