Dan Mousley will travel to the Caribbean with England Under 19s later this month aiming to continue a memorable year which has already delivered his "dream" of playing in Warwickshire's first-team.
Mousley has been busy at Loughborough and Edgbaston in recent weeks preparing for England U19s’ tri-nation series in the West Indies against the host nation and Sri Lanka.
Making my debut at Essex is something I will never forget. Now I just want to challenge hard next season and try to play a string of games like Yatesy did this year. It is a step up but I like that sort of pressure.
Dan Mousley
The trip comes at the end of a year in which the talented young batsman signed his first professional contract with the Bears and made his first-class debut, in the championship against Essex at Chelmsford in July – just five days after his 18th birthday.
Mousley was one of a clutch of home-grown products to make their debuts during 2019 – and is proud to be part of a generation coming through to challenge the senior players.
“I have been with Ethan Brookes and Rob Yates at Warwickshire since Under 10s and George Garrett almost as long,” he said. “So it’s brilliant to see my mates coming through and it was a really proud moment when I made my first-team debut.
“I was proud for myself but also my family who have done so much hard work to help me along the way and also the coaches – Kadeer Ali, Richard Jones, Ian Westwood, Paul Greetham and Mo Sheilk – who have helped me so much in the academy.
“It has been an amazing year for us all really, getting professional contracts and making our debuts. It was great to see that reward for all the hard wok the academy coaches do with us. It shows it is paying off.
“Making my debut at Essex is something I will never forget. It was a tough game and I didn’t get runs but I just loved pulling on the Bears shirt and doing all I could to help Warwickshire win. Now I just want to challenge hard next season and try to play a string of games like Yatesy did this year. It is a step up but I like that sort of pressure.”
Next up for Mousley is the U19s tri-series in which England will play six games against West Indies and Sri Lanka in Antigua, starting on December 6, with two teams qualifying for the final on December 21. England head coach Jon Lewis will be assisted by Bears legend Ian Bell as batting coach for the tournament which is preparation for the U19s World Cup in South Africa in January and February.
“I’m really looking forward to the tri-series,” said Mousley. “I’ve been working hard at Loughborough and Edgbaston and done quite a lot of work with Belly so it’s a really exciting prospect to get out to the Caribbean and try to impress ahead of the World Cup.”
