Worcestershire’s long-serving pace bowler, Charlie Morris, has announced his retirement from all cricket after an unsuccessful battle to overcome a knee injury.
Men’s Head Coach Alan Richardson and Cricket Steering Group Chair Paul Pridgeon have paid tribute to the sterling contribution of the 30-year-old on and off the pitch after a decade of first-team cricket at New Road.
Richardson described Morris as “a fantastic human being”, and Pridgeon said he “epitomises everything good about our Club.”
The popular pace bowler was awarded the prestigious Dick Lygon Award, recognising achievements and contributions on and off the field, at the end of the 2019 season, following in the footsteps of Clubs greats including Basil D’Oliveira, Imran Khan and Glenn Turner.
Hereford-born Morris ended his career with 237 first-class wickets at an average of 29.71, including a career-best 7-45 against Leicestershire at New Road in 2019.
He played Minor Counties cricket for Devon and made his first-class debut for Oxford MCCU in 2012 before his first-team breakthrough for Worcestershire came against Australia in 2013.
Morris’ first full season at Worcestershire, in 2014, saw him play a key part in gaining promotion to Division One, claiming 56 first-class wickets.
He then showed his quality in the top division and finished with 50 more first-class wickets in 2015.
Morris then showed his resilience and determination in bouncing back from remodelling his bowling action, and in 2019 produced another 47 wickets.
In 2021, Morris played his first full season of Vitality Blast cricket and finished as the leading wicket-taker with 17 in total.
He also worked hard on his batting and scored his maiden first-class fifty against an Australian attack, including Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, in 2019.
His final appearance for Worcestershire was in last July’s superb Championship victory over Middlesex at Merchant Taylor’s School.
Charlie Morris commented, “After several weeks of contemplation, I have come to a decision to announce my retirement from all forms of cricket.
“Throughout my cricketing journey, countless individuals have contributed to my success, and while it’s impossible to acknowledge everyone by name, I’d like to express my gratitude to the staff at Worcestershire, my teammates, and the phenomenal coaches and support staff who I’ve had the privilege to work with.
“No professional cricketer can thrive without a strong support network, and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my family for being there for me every step of the way throughout my career.
“As a cricketer, I am tremendously proud of everything I have accomplished, and I want to extend my best wishes to everyone at Worcestershire as they move forward. As for me, I will continue to be a keen supporter of the Club.”
Men’s Head Coach Alan Richardson said: “Everyone who has been in and around Charlie knows what an impressive character he is, how good he has been in and around the Club and what a huge ambassador he has been for the Club over his time here.
“A wonderful human being and his contribution on and off the field has been fantastic.
“Anyone who has watched him knows that Charlie puts his heart and soul into every performance, and he has put in some fantastic performances for the Club over a long time.
“His record speaks for itself, and he has been on a hell of a journey. It was always his dream to be a county cricketer and to achieve that, do so well, and be such an influential member of this special Club is something he should be very proud of.
“One of his huge strengths is his resilience and diligence about his work, and I don’t think many people in cricket have come back from remodelling their action.
“Charlie worked incredibly hard, his attention to detail was unsurpassed, he did everything in his powers to make sure he came back, and he was really effective and was a huge part of us over the last three or four years.”
Paul Pridgeon, Cricket Steering Group Chair added: “Charlie Morris epitomises everything good about this Club. He is an outstanding individual who always puts the team first.
“He gives you maximum effort every game he plays and is just such an engaging, lovely human being. A model professional on and off the pitch.
“For something like this to happen to him is very sad.
“To have to overcome the adversity of remodelling his action, he has had to dig deep at various stages of his career, and he has always done it for the good of the Club.
“He is the sort of guy you always want around, and he will be sadly missed by everyone. The players and, indeed the whole Club, are really saddened that he has had to retire prematurely, and we wish him and his family well in the future. “
