Gloucestershire County Cricket Club has confirmed the loan acquisition of fast bowler James Hayes for the remainder of the County Championship season, aiming to reinforce their squad following a series of setbacks, including a significant injury to all-rounder Ben Charlesworth.
Charlesworth, who sustained a hip injury earlier this summer, will be sidelined for the final five County Championship matches while continuing his rehabilitation. With a move to Lancashire County Cricket Club set for the 2027 season, the all-rounder has effectively played his last game representing Gloucestershire.
A product of Gloucestershire’s Academy, Charlesworth debuted for the club as a teenager and advanced through its ranks to become a consistent first-team player. Over six seasons, he has contributed notably with both bat and ball across all formats, playing vital roles in memorable victories such as the 2024 Vitality Blast triumph.
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To compensate for Charlesworth’s absence and strengthen the squad, Gloucestershire has brought back James Hayes on loan from Nottinghamshire. Hayes initially joined Gloucestershire for the latter part of the Vitality T20 Blast and will now return for the red-ball fixtures concluding the season.
Director of Cricket Jon Lewis expressed optimism upon Hayes’s initial arrival, praising him as “a talented young fast bowler” and welcoming his contribution to the team.
Hayes is set to feature in Gloucestershire’s upcoming match against Durham on Thursday. Currently, Durham are dominating Division Two, while Gloucestershire lie at the bottom after suffering their eighth defeat in nine games last week.
In their latest encounter, Gloucestershire experienced a challenging defeat to Worcestershire at Cheltenham during the Rothesay County Championship Second Division match. Head coach Mark Alleyne acknowledged that the team’s declaration was “generous,” as Worcestershire achieved a thrilling eight-wicket victory on the final day.
Worcestershire’s Dan Lategan marked his twelfth Championship appearance with an impressive maiden first-class century, scoring 144 runs off 163 balls, including 17 fours and five sixes-four of which came off Indian spinner Sai Kishore. Alongside opener Jake Libby, who made an unbeaten 107 from 151 deliveries with 12 fours, they combined for a commanding 244-run opening partnership.
Previously, Gloucestershire’s James Bracey compiled a resilient 127, forming a 102-run partnership with Ollie Price, who added 77, helping Gloucestershire declare at 395-7 and setting up a competitive finish.
Despite Gloucestershire’s spirited efforts, Worcestershire secured 20 points from the match, while Gloucestershire earned three, extending their losing streak to eight in nine matches.
Reflecting on the match, Alleyne commented, “We wanted to try and win the game today and we thought setting 325 off 65 overs would be about right. However, losing a couple of wickets in quick succession slowed our momentum, and we didn’t score as many runs as intended. We expected the pitch to deteriorate, but it remained quite placid, which was unexpected and impacted our bowling strategy.”
He added, “We were short on seam options and had to depend on spin bowling. It’s disappointing because we played some good cricket, with James Bracey and Ollie Price showing great resilience. Unfortunately, losing early wickets on the first day was a setback, reflecting the pressure the team is facing in Championship cricket at the moment.”
In addition to Hayes, Gloucestershire has also announced the loan signing of Essex fast bowler Mitchell Killeen for the final five matches of the Rothesay County Championship. Killeen has made three first-class appearances, taking 11 wickets, and made an immediate impact on his County Championship debut for Durham in 2025, claiming a five-wicket haul against Somerset.
Killeen’s List A debut came in August 2022 for Durham at the age of 17, and he has proven economical in this season’s Metro Bank One Day Cup representing Essex, maintaining an economy rate of 4.66.
These loan signings aim to strengthen Gloucestershire’s bowling attack as the club looks to improve their performance in the closing stages of the season.