Sussex announce Academy intake for 2015

Five players have retained their places for a further year, whilst there are two players new to the setup, which is a combined programme between the ECB and Sussex themselves. It is the smallest group of Academy players that Sussex have had for a number of years.

Leo Cammish, Izzy Collis, George Garton, Tom Haines and Phil Salt have all retained their places from last season’s programme, whilst Daniel Doram and Jonty Jenner have both been selected for the first time.

The Academy players are selected following a strenuous audition programme as well as the tour to Sri Lanka last month, in which the travelling squad put together a string of impressive performances against often higher-graded opposition.

All of the players have shown that they could absorb new information and alter their techniques in the appropriate areas, whilst achieving the set goals and earning their one-year place on the programme. They have shown good evidence that they can portray the Sussex values which are of course a crucial part of Sussex Cricket and its Academy.

Of the new players selected, Doram is an orthodox left-arm spinner who has already featured in both first-class and List A cricket for the Netherlands despite only recently turning 17. He has played for them in every age group from Under 15’s upwards and has shown huge potential.

Jenner has been part of the Sussex setup for the past three seasons having joined via the county’s link with the Channel Islands. The 17 year-old has represented Jersey in the ICC World Cricket League and the right-handed batsman is also rated as an excellent fielder.

Of the existing group of players in the Academy, wicketkeeper-batsman Cammish struck a fantastic unbeaten century on the tour of Sri Lanka, whilst Collis helped the Sussex Women’s Under-17’s team to the Championship title for the second year in a row in 2014.

Garton is a 17-year old left-arm seamer who made a string of encouraging Second Eleven performances last season, and 16 year-old Haines is the youngest of the crop, with the left-handed batsman having made his Second Eleven debut in 2014 after some impressive performances in the County Age Group squads. He has also been selected in the England Under-17’s squad to travel to the UAE to play Pakistan next month.

Batsman Salt, 18, smashed an incredible unbeaten 200 from 129 balls for the Sussex Development XI last season, following a knock of 147 not out from earlier in the campaign.

Sussex’s Cricket Performance Manager and Academy Director Keith Greenfield said, “We’re hugely excited by the group we have together and are very much looking forward to the programme progressing.

“We’re looking forward to continuing the hard work with all of those players and we welcome two more hugely exciting prospects in the shape of Daniel and Jonty.

“All of these players have the potential to go on to play first-class cricket or in Izzy’s case, for England Women. We hope that the bulk of them will begin to make a huge difference in Second Eleven cricket this season.”