James Harris spent seven years on Glamorgan’s staff before joining Middlesex for 2013. The all-rounder subsequently had loan spells back with the Welsh county during 2014 and 2021, as well as with Kent in 2017. He then rejoined Glamorgan on a three-year deal from 2022.
He had made his first-class debut in 2007 against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge with the schoolboy from Pontarddulais becoming the youngest bowler to take a Championship wicket for Glamorgan aged just 16 years and 351 days old. A couple of weeks later, James wrote himself another place in the Club’s record books as, just days after his seventeenth birthday, he took a dozen wickets in Glamorgan’s County Championship match against Gloucestershire at Bristol, besides taking a career-best 7/66 to become the youngest person to take ten wickets in a match for the Welsh county.
Later that season, also against Nottinghamshire at Swansea, James also featured in a record stand of 185 for the ninth wicket with Robert Croft, with James ending up on 87 and within sight of being Glamorgan’s youngest-ever Championship century-maker. The subsequent seasons saw
James continued his prodigious rise in the professional game, claiming his 100th wicket for the Welsh county at the age of just 19 years whilst, in 2010, he became the Club’s youngest-ever capped player.
His prowess as a waspish seam bowler and decent lower middle-order batsman had drawn the attention of the England selectors with the youngster playing for age-group teams before winning places in the England Under 19 and England Lions sides. It was these ambitions of playing international cricket which prompted his departure from Glamorgan with James agreeing terms with Middlesex at the end of the 2012 season, shortly before being called up by England for their T20 series in New Zealand. He did not feature in any of the games and despite further appearances for the England Lions, and a place in the Middlesex side, his international ambitions have yet to be fulfilled.
HARRIS, James Alexander Russell
Born – Morriston, 6th May 1990.
Best performances for Glamorgan:
In first-class cricket – 87* v Nottinghamshire at Swansea, 2007; 7/66 v Gloucestershire at Bristol, 2007.
In List A cricket – 21 v Derbyshire at Derby, 2009; 4/48 v Kent at Canterbury, 2008.
In T20 cricket – 17* v Kent at Canterbury, 2011; 4/23 v Northamptonshire at Northampton, 2009.
| M | I | NO | RUNS | AV | 100 | 50 | CT | ST | |
| First-class | 70 | 97 | 16 | 1583 | 19.54 | – | 5 | 15 | – |
| List A | 38 | 24 | 5 | 172 | 9.05 | – | – | 8 | – |
| T20 | 30 | 18 | 9 | 104 | 11.56 | – | – | 3 | – |
| Balls | M | R | W | AV | 5wI | 10wM | |
| First-class | 12665 | 420 | 7030 | 244 | 28.81 | 9 | 1 |
| List A | 1499 | 10 | 1400 | 44 | 31.82 | – | – |
| T20 | 524 | 2 | 781 | 24 | 32.54 | – | – |