First-class debut
Debuts for Leicestershire at 19 and hits 96 from No. 10, still the highest score by a Leicestershire No. 10.
Where The Player Vault began
Zak Chappell.
Professional fast bowler. Co-founder of The Player Vault.
Derbyshire CCC
The player
Zak Chappell is a 6ft 6in fast bowler with Derbyshire County Cricket Club. Born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, in 1996, he announced himself at 19 with 96 on his first-class debut for Leicestershire, batting at No. 10. No Leicestershire No. 10 has scored more, before or since.
Spells at Nottinghamshire and Gloucestershire followed before the move to Derbyshire, where his first season brought 26 Vitality Blast wickets, the most by any Derbyshire bowler in a single Blast campaign. In 2024 he took 64 wickets across all formats and was awarded his county cap. He has played in The Hundred for Oval Invincibles and in the Bangladesh Premier League for Rangpur Riders.
A decade as a professional has meant a decade of being coached at the highest level: biomechanists, bowling coaches and analysts, all studying his action frame by frame and finding the half-percent improvements that keep a career moving.
Why he built it
Zak came up through club cricket in Lincolnshire, a long way from the professional academies. The coaching that changed his career only arrived when the county pathway put the right eyes on his action. Most young athletes never get that. Talent is everywhere. Access is not.
The Player Vault is his answer. A player anywhere can build a verified record of their cricket, keep their footage and performances together, and give the right scouts a clear view of what they can do. You should not need an academy contract or the right postcode to have your cricket seen properly.
“Every week of my career, someone with sharper eyes than mine has looked at my action and found something I couldn't see. That's what makes professionals. Every athlete should be able to get that, wherever they are.”
6ft 6inFast bowler
71First-class matches
64Wickets in 2024
26Record Blast season
The road here
Nottinghamshire
Four seasons at Trent Bridge, with loan spells at Gloucestershire along the way.
Derbyshire
26 wickets in his first Vitality Blast season, the most by any Derbyshire bowler in a single Blast campaign. Picked up by Oval Invincibles in The Hundred.
County cap
64 wickets across all formats and 590 runs with the bat, including an unbeaten 94 to win at Northampton. Capped by Derbyshire in September. Signed by Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League.
Ever-present
Plays every Championship match of the season and takes a career-best 34 first-class wickets.
A partnership takes shape
Zak connects with Garreth Sleigh of FlyingPenguin.ai. Together they combine professional cricket experience with 25 years of business and IT development to launch The Player Vault.
The partnership
Garreth Sleigh
Co-founder · FlyingPenguin.aiZak formed a partnership with Garreth Sleigh of FlyingPenguin.ai to turn the idea into a working platform. Their partnership brings Zak's professional cricket expertise together with Garreth's 25 years in business and IT development.
Garreth leads the product, technology and commercial development needed to make The Player Vault useful to players, families, clubs and scouts.
Together, they are building a practical, lasting platform shaped by how cricket really works and by the technology needed to make access safer, clearer and fairer for teams and players alike.
Your cricket deserves a record that lasts.
Build your profile, add your performances and footage, and be ready when the right opportunity comes looking.