A promising top order batsman who made his first appearance for Nottinghamshire Seconds in 2008 as a fifteen-year-old, Sam Kelsall ultimately started in just seven matches at senior level before being released in 2014.
Samuel Kelsall was born in Stoke-on-Trent on 14 March 1993. He progressed through the Staffordshire age-group system, representing the County from Under-10s to Under-17s level. He played senior league cricket for Moddershall in the North Staffordshire and South Cheshire Premier League from 2007 and in August 2008 started for Nottinghamshire Seconds against Derbyshire Seconds at the tender age of fifteen.
Kelsall became a regular in the Second XI and in the summer of 2011 was called into the England Under-19s squad for the seven match One-Day International series against South Africa Under-19s. He made his debut in the first match at Edgbaston, alongside two Nottinghamshire team-mates, Brett Hutton and Sam Wood. Kelsall appeared in all seven matches and recorded 130 runs, opening the innings or batting in the top order. An occasional wicket-keeper, he also took the gloves in four of the games.
In August 2011, days after the Under-19s series ended, he made his debut for Nottinghamshire in a County Championship match at Durham. In a rare occurrence, two debutants opened for Notts with Karl Turner joining Kelsall at the top of the innings. That was Kelsall’s only First-Class appearance of the season but he did play in a single List-A match, scoring 40 and keeping wicket against Sri Lanka A. Over the winter, he toured with England Under-19s and played in a further nine youth One-Day Internationals.
Kelsall played in one First-Class match in 2012 and a single List-A encounter in 2013. In 2014, his final season with Notts, he played in the early-season First-Class friendly against Oxford MCCU and two 50-over One-Day Cup matches but at the end of the season was released by the County.
Kelsall played over 100 games in all formats across seven seasons in the Second eleven but made just seven starts in the First Eleven. He scored a total of 196 runs, with a top score of 57 against the Oxford students.
Kelsall returned to club cricket with Moddershall in 2015 and played a single season of minor counties cricket with Lincolnshire. The following year he was back with his native Staffordshire and was appointed captain of the county side ahead of the 2020 season.
May 2020
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 617