LEWIS Goldsworthy enjoyed his best season to date in 2022, during which he scored more than 500 runs in the county championship at an average of over 37 and scored his maiden centuries in both red and white ball cricket.

“The 2022 season was a bit of a mixed bag for us as a team,” said the young Cornishman.

“However, I had a couple of personal highlights with my first championship and one day hundred. 

“I was playing well through the middle part of the summer and I felt that these scores were coming and these were very proud moments for me.

“It's always nice to get your first century and I hope that there will be many more to come.”

Lewis is a right handed batter and also bowls left-arm spin, but how does he see himself as a cricketer?

He said: “The main thrust of my game at the moment is my batting, and it has always been that way for me growing up as well.

“However, I am definitely going to keep on working at my bowling which gives me more options in red ball cricket, and want to create more of a wicket taking threat - but that may take a little bit of time, so for now I see myself as a batter.”

Lewis seems to have been part of the scene at Somerset for a long time and maybe that’s because, although he is still only 22, he has been coming up to Taunton from his home in Cornwall for more than eight years.

“It’s been a nice journey for me and this is a home for me now,” he said.

“When you first come into the environment, it's a little bit scary and you don’t know everyone, but as you go through the years with the Academy and now the pro staff you get to know people on a different level and you make a lot of friends and feel more comfortable.

“I am really happy with the way that things have gone for me so far.

“Paul Tweddle used to drive down to Truro a couple of times every week to work with me which is a big sacrifice for him because it’s two and a half hours each way.

“I really appreciate that and everything that ‘Tweds’ has done for me over the years and he still works with me now- he is a top quality coach and deserves every success he is getting.”

So what is Lewis focussing on in the indoor nets?

He explained: “This winter I am working hard on my red ball bowling - getting a bit of confidence in that which is a lot different to T20 bowling.

“Red ball bowling is about consistency and I am trying to search for that a little bit more.

“On the batting side, I am trying to build on my red ball batting last year and I think that I am in quite a good place with that.

“In white ball batting I'm looking for more boundary options.

“Being a fairly small lad, you have got to try to manufacture more ways of scoring effectively and this is something that Tom Abell does really well in T20 cricket so I have got someone pretty good to learn from.”

Whenever he walks to the wicket Lewis always seems to exude an air of calmness, whatever the situation- how does he account for this?

“I guess that’s my personality really,” he said.

“At times there is a lot of pressure, but you have to try and forget about all of that - it’s just a bat and a ball game, which I know is easier said than done but I do seem to be able to find that calmness out there- well most of the time!

“You also have to work at that and the more experience I have the more it helps.”

Lewis went on: “I remember the first game I played here against Middlesex I was really nervous before I went out to bat but, once I get through facing that first ball, it's fine for me. I suppose you can say that I am calm, but not all of the time!

Regarding the signing of Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Sean Dickson during the winter, Lewis said: “I think it’s good that we have got some new batters coming on board.

“People say we have got a battery of seamers but now I think that we have also got a battery of batters.

“This can only be good for all of us, fighting for positions in the first team means that the seconds will be stronger.

“The two guys who have come in are top quality players and will certainly strengthen the squad."

Looking towards 2023, he said: “I think first and foremost for us to have a better year and be challenging for the championship or be there or thereabouts.

“For me personally, I’d like to get more runs than last year because trying to build every season is key, obviously I’d like more hundreds and want to try to produce more match winning performances- especially at home!”

Lewis added: “I signed a two year extension last summer so I am here until the end of 2024 which I'm happy with as I wouldn’t really want to be anywhere else at this point in time.”