Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club sign academy player who spent some of 2021 at Hucknall Cricket Club

Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club have signed academy graduate Sammy King, who played a few matches for Hucknall Cricket Club during the 2021 season.

King, captain of the Nottinghamshire Academy for the last two seasons has now signed his first professional contract with the county.

He made his first team debut in 2021 as a concussion substitute against Glamorgan in the Royal London Cup.

For the U18 side this year, the seam bowling all-rounder scored 577, averaging 32.06, and took 24 wickets at 22.83 apiece.

"To have the chance to continue my development at Notts is hugely exciting for me having come through the ranks at the club," said King.

"After training with the senior side at times over the last year especially, I've seen first-hand just how high the level is and how small the margin for error can be.

"It has given me the hunger to continue to improve. To have made my first team debut was a huge step, and I hope I can continue to progress over the next year."

King, who was named Academy Player of the Season in 2020, captained the Midlands at the ECB Super 4s competition the following year and struck 92 against South and West before scoring fifty for an England Young Lions side in an intrasquad friendly in September.

"Sam is a player who has shown real capability with bat, with ball and as a leader," said Head Coach Peter Moores.

"We were able to embed him within the first team set up for much of the Royal London Cup, and the progression he made in that small window served to show how high his ceiling is, and how determined he is to succeed as a professional.

"Following the success of the likes of Lyndon James, Joey Evison and Liam Patterson-White, Sammy has a great opportunity to continue his development beyond the Academy set-up, and our coaching team will offer him every support in pursuing his ambitions in the game."

There is a chance that he might feature for Hucknall in 2022 alongside his Nottinghamshire commitments to further his development and first team exposure as he did this year.

A spokesperson for Hucknall Cricket Club said of King: "He was fantastic last season on and off the pitch in the handful of games he played for us, and we hope to see him for the 2022 season too."