Grant Hodnett Cricketer
Grant Phillip Hodnett (born 17 August 1982) is a South African born English cricketer. Hodnett is a right-handed batsman who bowls leg break. He was born in Johannesburg, Transvaal Province and educated at Northwood High School in Durban. Hodnett appeared for the Gloucestershire Cricket Board in the 2002 MCCA Knockout Trophy, after impressing for Cheltenham Cricket Club, he was signed by Gloucestershire for the 2005 season. He made his debut in a first-class match against Warwickshire in the 2005 County Championship. The following season he made his List A debut against Sussex in the 2006 Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy, while the 2007 season saw Hodnett gain an extended run in John Lewis' County Championship team, making fifteen appearances in that season, Hodnett scored 886 first-class runs in this season, which came at an average of 36.91, with a high score of 168. He also made his last three List A appearances for Gloucestershire in the 2007 season during the Friends Provident Trophy. He scored 114 runs in his four List A matches for the county, which came at an average of 28.50, while he made a single half century with a score of exactly 50 against Somerset. However, in 2008 Hodnett lost his place in the Gloucestershire side, after which he admitted he was suffering from depression. He sought treatment for the condition from sports psychologist Brian Copley (who had also helped Marcus Trescothick through his depression). He returned for the 2009 season having missed much of the previous season and made his Twenty20 debut against Worcestershire in the Twenty20 Cup. He made three further matches in the competition, in his final appearance against Northamptonshire, Hodnett scored 60 runs from 46 balls. After this match he criticised Gloucestershire on a radio station, stating that he felt 'under-used' by the club, as well as criticising Gloucestershire's forthcoming opponents Somerset. Following this he did not feature in any further matches for the county, at the end of the 2009 season coach John Bracewell opted not to extend his contract and Hodnett was released along with Matthew Gitsham. Back in his native South Africa, Hodnett made two List A appearances in October 2010 for KwaZulu-Natal against North West and South Western Districts in the CSA Provincial One-Day Competition.