Ben Spendlove

Benjamin Lee Spendlove (born November 4, 1978 in Belper, Derbyshire) was a professional English cricketer.

Early life A student of Trent College in Long Eaton, Spendlove became a cricket player via originally playing rugby. His father, Lee, was a groundsman at a local cricket club.

Career A right-handed batsman who also bowled off-breaks, Spendlove made his debut for Derbyshire in the 1997 season. Considered a promising prospect , Spendlove would win the Denis Compton Award as the county's most promising young player in the same year. That would see him called up for England at two youth levels , but most notably the Under-19s, where he played two one-day internationals against Pakistan. He also received praise for his form during Derbyshire's surprise run to the 1998 Natwest Trophy Final.

Despite this, he struggled to nail down a regular place in the team, and was released in 2001. After a few seasons in club cricket, he impressed enough to earn a one-day contract with Derbyshire again in 2004, after which he would play for two more years, leaving again in 2005. Across his two spells, he would ultimately play 20 first-class games for Derbyshire, averaging 19.29 and scoring two fifties, along with 32 List A games, averaging 14.30.

During the local league years of his career, he combined playing with a job at East Midlands Airport.