Oli Carter signs Sussex contract extension

The 19-year-old wicketkeeper batsman has made eight appearances for the club to date in 2021, scoring two List A half-centuries

Wicketkeeper-batsman Oli Carter has signed a new multi-year contract with Sussex.

The 19-year-old joined up with the professional squad in June 2021, making two appearances in the T20 Blast, two in the County Championship, and four in the Royal London One-Day Cup. He has scored 201 runs to date for Sussex, including two List A half-centuries, as well as taking eight catches and completing three stumpings.

Carter is one of 17 Sussex academy graduates in the men’s squad and one of seven to make his first team debut in 2021.

Commenting on signing his new deal, Carter said: "I am absolutely chuffed to have signed my first long-term contract with Sussex. It’s something that I have dreamed of ever since I played my first game for the Sussex age groups aged 13.

"There’s so many people to thank who have helped me on my journey so far, but a stand-out for me would be Rob Ferley from Eastbourne College who pushed me so far and improved me massively.

"It’s been such a good experience being in the first team squad this year and I’ve learnt so much. Sals [Ian Salisbury] and Kirts [James Kirtley] have been great with me which is really important as they have given me the confidence and support to perform.

"It’s really exciting the direction Sussex is heading and I can’t wait to get going and hopefully help the club win a trophy."

Sussex’s Championship and One-Day head coach, Ian Salisbury, was full of praise for the youngster, commenting: "As we’ve made clear before, we’re looking to build our squad with homegrown cricketers that can play all formats and Oli is exactly that. He’s also a fighter that never gives up and we saw that in the recent Royal London Cup game against Gloucestershire. There’s no such thing as a lost cause for Oli.

"He’s had a taste of T20, Championship and one-day cricket now, and anyone who’s been watching can see the evidence of what an exciting young cricketer we have in Oli. He was fearless playing in the Blast, has scored two fifties in List A cricket and was selfless with the bat and showed promising glimpses in his two Championship games, all at the age of 19.

"Oli also has an important role with the wicketkeeping gloves and making sure we have a balanced squad in that respect. So far he’s shown an excellent ability to contribute to the running of the field from behind the stumps and has a great relationship with the young bowlers he’s developing alongside."

James Kirtley, Sussex’s T20 head coach, added: "Oli has been in our environment for some time now and he has just got better and better. His quiet determination is an example to every young player and now seeing him being rewarded with some good quality performances is very heartening. I look forward to seeing his continued development over the next couple of years."