Ed Barnard followed his father Andy and older brother Mike into Shropshire’s Minor Counties side before graduating to the first-class ranks with Worcestershire.
He moved up the M5 to Edgbaston in 2023 and proved a shrewd acquisition by Warwickshire who appointed Ed their vice-captain ahead of the 2024 season.
Ed responded to the additional responsibilities by making four centuries and taking 44 wickets in first-class and List A matches.
Ed was born and raised in Shrewsbury and made his senior debut for Shropshire aged 17 in 2012, the year before he was appointed captain of Shrewsbury School. Ed took four for 18 in the first innings of his Shropshire debut, a drawn Championship match against Devon at Whitchurch.
With former Worcestershire seamer Paul Pridgeon then in charge of Shrewsbury’s cricket it was not long before Worcestershire and England Under-19s were alerted to a bright young talent.
Ed made his debut for England Under-19s before he played Second XI cricket for Worcestershire where he made smooth and pleasing progress, initially as a seamer but then as an all-rounder.
Having made his first-class debut in 2015, Ed took 35 wickets in 2016 – his first full season of Championship cricket – and at least 40 wickets in each of the next four seasons.
Ed signed off his Worcestershire career by making 895 first-class runs in 2022 and followed up with 840, including a career-best 165 against Essex at Chelmsford in his second season at Edgbaston.
Runs also flowed for Ed in white ball cricket with two centuries in the Metro Bank Cup in each of his first two seasons with Warwickshire including a career-best 173 not out – also against Essex at Chelmsford in 2024.
First-class
Highest score: 177* Warwickshire v Surrey at Edgbaston (2025)
Best bowling: 6-37 Worcestershire v Somerset at Taunton (2018)
List A
Highest score: 173 not out Warwickshire v Essex at Chelmsford (2024)
Best bowling: 4-21 Warwickshire v Leicestershire at Leicester (2024)
T20
Highest score: 48 Warwickshire v Northamptonshire at Edgbaston 2024
Best bowling: 3-29 Worcestershire v Warwickshire at Worcester 2018
Bat supplier: Gray Nicholls
Twitter:Â @EdBarn95
Instagram: @edbarn95