Hunt, Coles & Tear sign Sussex contracts

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Sussex Cricket have announced that Sean Hunt and James Coles have signed contract extensions, while academy wicket-keeper batsman Charlie Tear has signed his first professional contract.

Left-arm seamer Hunt joined Sussex in January of 2019 having impressed in the Surrey academy, where he was named the county’s academy player of the year in 2019. His new deal will see him remain at The 1st Central County ground until at least 2024.

Sean suffered a thumb injury over the winter which meant he only featured twice so far this season in the LV= Insurance County Championship, but he looked in fine form on his return, taking two wickets in the first innings against Middlesex as well as a wicket against the ICC World Test Champions New Zealand on Saturday.

Sussex Head Coach Ian Salisbury spoke of his delight for Sean: “Sean is continuing to show his promise, he is still only 20 years old and his potential is clear to see. He has worked hard both tactically and physically over the past year, so I am excited to see him blossom as a Sussex cricketer.”

James Coles

All-rounder James Coles has signed an extension to his professional deal that will see him remain with Sussex until at least 2023. 18-year-old Coles became Sussex’s second youngest first-class player when he when he made his debut against Surrey in the Bob Willis Trophy in 2020 at the age of 16 years and 158 days.

James is a product of Sussex Cricket’s player development partnership with the Oxfordshire Cricket Board that has been in place since 2013. He was the first player from the programme to sign a professional contract.

More recently James played a vital role in lifting the National Counties T20 title for Oxfordshire, taking 3 wickets in the final.

“James made his debut at 16 and continues to impress whenever he is involved with the team. He bowled beautifully this season at Derbyshire against high-class opposition.

“He is a player that alongside many others in our ranks is a key part of our strategy to develop homegrown talent that will one day make up the core of our first team squad.”

Charlie Tear

17-year-old Charlie Tear signed his first ever professional deal last week following successful seasons in the academy and at his school, Seaford College. Tear is a wicket-keeper batsman that has also represented Scotland u19’s on five occasions, with his highest score of 54 coming against Australia.

Speaking about his first professional deal, Tear said: “I am so happy to have signed my first contract with my home county, Sussex. I can’t wait to get started when I join up with the team in July.”

And on Tear’s first contract Salisbury added: “We’ve had our eye on Charlie for a while, he’s a player that has been coached brilliantly in the academy and by Chris Adams at Seaford College.

“He is another young exciting player that will help to underpin the future success of Sussex in all competitions.

“Charlie is in the same age bracket as the likes of Archie Lenham, Dan Ibrahim and James Coles, all of which you can see developing into key players for the club in the years to come.”