County cricketer Ben Cox set to light up Bice Oval with his funky-grip sports socks
Southern’s new English recruit brings experience after sharing the pitch with Aussie cricketers including Travis Head but he also has a quirky business venture that’s made its way to Adelaide.
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Ultimate team man, wicketkeeper, funky socks creator – this is Southern District’s new UK recruit Ben Cox.
Cox arrives at the Stingrays from first-class county club Worcestershire ready to “get stuck in” as he aims to help Southern climb the ladder in the second half of this grade cricket season.
The 27-year-old, who has shared the field in England with Australian Test players Travis Head, Nathan Lyon and Callum Ferguson, is also spruiking a business venture he started with a schoolmate – designing funky-grip sports socks under the brand name ‘HEXXEE’.
Cox is set to debut for Southern in its clash with Adelaide at Glandore Oval this Saturday – and will don his sock creations.
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“Back in the UK, everyone wears funky high socks,” says Cox, who has lined up in 116 first-class games for Worcestershire.
“Team culture is huge for me so I am just going to try and be myself and, with that, hopefully the cricket will take care of itself.
“I love getting stuck in and that’s exactly what (Southern president) Grant Lovelock wants me to do.”
And the reason for the socks enterprise?
“My cricket career won’t last forever so I’m just broadening my skill set,” Cox says.
“There was a gap in the market with grip socks, which you see all the professional sports stars wearing now, but companies were using cheaper material and I wanted to make a better product.
“It’s kind of snowballed from there.”
Cox has experience playing in SA.
He was a member of the Darren Lehmann Cricket Academy and featured with Adelaide when he was 18 before a stint with Northern Districts in 2012.
He did attempt a return to Adelaide about four years ago, only to be knocked back at Immigration because of a visa issue.
“At the time there wasn’t a sponsored visa for cricket,” the right-hand batsman says.
“But I’m here now, and that’s the most important thing.
“It’s nice to come out and play for the love of the game again.
“Cricket in the UK is very overwhelming at times, especially if you’re not in good form and things aren’t going your way, so it’s nice to come over and almost get out of that environment and freshen things up in Australia.”
Cox’s Worcestershire teammate Ben Twohig, who was one of the Southern District’s internationals last summer, was also set to line up with the Stingrays this Saturday.
The 21-year-old left-arm spinner missed this year’s English domestic season after rupturing his ACL in April but has been cleared fit after just eight months of rehab.
“I got along really well with the boys last time and I enjoyed playing with the team,” Twohig says.
“Grant Lovelock is also a family friend so it was a bit of a no-brainer to come back to Southern.”