At a glance
- 18-year-old debutant for Glamorgan
- Became the youngest to record a first class hat-trick
- Also took seven wickets in the match
There were many great performances this last week. Sam Hain’s mammoth innings of 164* from 319 balls helped set Warwickshire’s win over Yorkshire. Ben Duckett hit himself into form, after a poor Ashes this winter, with 203* that helped Nottinghamshire to a draw with Surrey.
You also have Tawanda Muyeye’s 108 for Kent as they picked up a win against Gloucestershire. But in this season of runs, one bowler stood out for us…
Tom Norton
What a debut for this young man. Tom Norton, a right hand batter and seam bowler, made his Glamorgan first team debut in 2024 in a one day friendly against Wiltshire, becoming the youngest player to play for Glamorgan aged just 16 and 348 days.
Norton was part of Glamorgan’s One-Day Cup squads for the last two years, and made his first XI debut against Leicestershire at Sophia Gardens in August last year.
He made his County Championship debut last week against early pace setters Somerset in Round Six, with the match proving a memorable occasion filled with firsts for Norton:
- First wicket – Tom Lammonby lbw for 45.
- First three wicket innings – Archie Vaughan and Craig Overton, along with Lammonby (final first innings figures – 3-75)
- First runs – 11 off 53 balls
It was the second innings that will live long in his memory though.
Somerset’s second innings
Having bowled Glamorgan out for 229, Somerset had a first innings lead of 125. With an hour’s play left at the end of day two, Somerset would look to score big and bat themselves into a winning position.
Norton had other ideas. With the third ball of his third over of the innings, Norton had James Rew (possible England opener) caught by Asa Tribe for 0.
The next ball brought another breakthrough as Tom Lammonby edged behind to Chris Cooke. Suddenly the debutant found himself on a hat-trick with Archie Vaughan, son of former England captain Michael Vaughan, walking to the crease.
Norton charged in again and struck Archie Vaughan on the pad, prompting a huge appeal from the Glamorgan players. Umpire Paul Pollard paused briefly before raising his finger, sparking jubilant celebrations as Norton was mobbed by his team-mates.
Somerset had suddenly collapsed to 7-3.
The carnage continued as Norton also dismissed Will Smeed for 0, helping reduce Somerset to 32-6 by the close of day two.
The debutant finished the day with remarkable figures of 4-22 from 6.4 overs as Glamorgan blew the match wide open through Norton’s stunning and historic spell.
Firsts aplenty
With Norton’s hat-trick, he became the youngest player to record a first-class hat-trick for Glamorgan. He was also the youngest on record from any team to do it on first-class debut, and the first of any age to do it on Championship debut since 1906.
The previous youngest player to achieve the feat was Jeff Jones, father to 2005 Ashes hero Simon Jones. However, Jones was aged 20, back in 1962.
Norton obviously took a little time to come to terms with the special nature of his debut. He said:
“I never thought this would happen. I was happy to get my first wicket to get me off my mark in first-class cricket…a first wicket in first-class cricket is something special, it doesn’t get taken away from you ever in your life.
But to take a hat-trick on my debut is something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. It’s a really special feeling, hopefully I’ll have my name in the record books for a long, long time.”
Hear Tom’s reaction here:
Taking a hat-trick is always a special achievement. In 20 years of playing cricket I only managed it once myself, which makes Norton’s effort on debut even more remarkable. Congratulations, Tom!
Stay up to date with all the latest County Championship news at readcricket.com also follow us on instagram.
