Bournemouth is pleased to announce that Tasmanian all-rounder Thomas Willoughby will return to the club for their 2023 Southern Premier League campaign.

Willoughby is an exceptional talent playing for the South Hobart Sandy Bay Sharks in the Cricket Tasmania Premier League. Holder of a British Passport, Willoughby is a genuine all-rounder who bats in the top order and bowls left-arm orthodox spin.

Playing in a Sharks 1st Grade featuring the likes of State players George Bailey, Ben Dunk, Ash Doolan, Sean Willis, Hamish Kingston, Gabe Bell, and Tom Andrews, Willoughby has become a stand-out performer for the club. Over the past two seasons, Willoughby has struck 388 runs at 20.42 and taken 20 wickets at 25.75 (2020/21), and 407 runs at 37 and 10 wickets at 33.40 (2021/22).

At State level, Willoughby was involved with Tasmania at the 2018 and 2019 Under-17 and 19 National Championships, respectively, following a glittering schoolboy career for The Hutchins School, with whom he skippered in his final season. He was Cricket Tasmania Premier League’s Under-17 Player of the Year (2018/19) and has previously received the Junior Lord’s Taverners Scholarship, which recognises a young cricketer who displays outstanding ability, sportsmanship, and general attitude to the game of cricket both on and off the field.

Willoughby is looking to progress in the game and a view to his development has played the past two seasons in UK club cricket. During his maiden stint (2021), he excelled for Sleaford in the Lincolnshire County Board Premier League, scoring 1,317 runs at 47.04 and 61 wickets at 11.90 in all forms of cricket. Last summer, the dual Passport holder continued to shine, this time for Bournemouth in the Southern Premier League hitting 897 runs at 34.50 alongside 16 wickets at 27.94.

The Sharks all-rounder is quite the prospect and given his success last season is now set to return to Bournemouth for their 2023 Southern Premier Cricket League campaign.