JOE WILLIAMS profiles the emerging stars worth keeping an eye on during the upcoming season, from a Lancashire wicketkeeper to a Nottinghamshire allrounder
George Bell, 20 (Lancashire)
Bell made his first-class debut at the end of the 2022 season. He appeared in the final fixtures against Essex and Surrey as Lancashire finished second in the table; a familiar position.
His debut came in a low-scoring affair at Chelmsford where he registered 16 and 24. Those first-team appearances were hard-earned following a successful season with the second XI.
Bell was a member of England's Under-19 World Cup campaign in 2022 where he hit two half-centuries and averaged 43.66.
Before the tournament, Lancashire wasted little time in signing Bell up to his first professional contract at the end of 2021.
Upon confirmation of the new deal, director of cricket performance Mark Chilton said: "George is an exciting talent and he has really impressed the coaching staff with his determined attitude and performances for the second XI this summer."
The 20-year-old will be looking to kick on this season and opportunities may present themselves in the early weeks, with Phil Salt at the Indian Premier League. Dane Vilas and Josh Lavelle, who made two Championship appearances last year, are the alternative options.
Ben Geddes, 21 (Surrey)
When Surrey's side was decimated by international call-ups and The Hundred last year, Geddes stepped up to the plate.
The young Epsom-born batter captained a youthful Surrey in the Royal London Cup. Amid a difficult campaign, the 21-year-old acquitted himself well scoring 215 runs in his eight games.
As well as captaining the team he also featured in dispatches in the County Championship. scoring 176 runs at an average of 44 across four innings, including a maiden first-class century against Kent. The ability to slot seamlessly into the line-up should put him in good stead for this season.
The difficulty for Geddes will be turning those sporadic appearances into regular outings.
A lineup containing Rory Burns, Ollie Pope, the returning Dom Sibley, Ryan Patel and Ben Foakes will be tough to breach, but given the opportunity, Geddes has proven he is up to the challenge.
George Bell made his first-class debut last September (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Dane Schadendorf, 20 (Nottinghamshire)
The Zimbabwean wicketkeeper had an impressive 2022 where he was the leading run scorer in the Second XI Championship. He hit 1,001 runs at an average of 45.50, making him the standout player.
That was not the only leaderboard that Schadendorf topped; with the gloves, he took the most dismissals with 31 catches and four stumpings.
Unsurprisingly, Notts handed him a new two-year contract at the end of 2022.
Head coach Peter Moores is confident that Schadendorf's progress will continue: "To be the leading run-scorer in second XI cricket is a real feather in his cap and bodes well for his future progression in the game," he said.
"He has a natural ability to strike a ball and his red-ball development suggests this will transfer across to all formats in the future. His keeping continues to improve with the challenge of consistency being his main goal."
Tom Moores is the current incumbent with the gloves but he struggled with the bat last term, reaching fifty just once, and Schadendorf is primed to take advantage of any chance that comes his way.
James Sales, 20 (Northamptonshire)
After making his debut in the 2021 season, Sales' progression kicked on in 2022.
The allrounder featured for England Under-19's at the World Cup and went on to feature four times in the County Championship.
Those appearances bared fruit for Sales in the form of 159 runs and took two wickets. Overall, he has played seven championship games with two half-centuries to his name.
Northamptonshire head coach John Sadler is bullish about Sales' talents: "He's a genuine multi-format all-rounder who's just getting better and better the more he plays and he's really growing into his role in our squad."
Sales signed a new two-year contract at the end of last season and believe he has the capabilities to push on this year.
He said: "It's been nice to contribute to some of the success we've had on the field this year and hopefully I can kick on now into next season and play my part for Northamptonshire in all formats."
Ben Geddes is the latest cab off the rank at Surrey (Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
Scott Currie, 21 (Hampshire)
Currie has made waves in white-ball cricket over the past couple of years, most notably in the 2021 T20 Blast during which he took 19 wickets in nine matches to help Hampshire get to the Finals Day.
His 2022 was slightly more subdued, only appearing three times for the Hawks during their run to the title.
But it was not a year of total regression as the fast bowler captained the second XI in the County Championship and had a blistering Royal London Cup taking 18 wickets at 25.11.
When signing his three-year contract in 2021, Currie made his ambitions known: "I want more of the same in limited overs cricket but I have ambitions to break into the red ball team and hopefully I can contribute to what is a really strong County Championship side."
Having two overseas seamers in Kyle Abbott and Mohammad Abbas as competition will make getting regular opportunities for title-chasing Hants a tough ask but his ability to add runs with the bat is a notable USP. He didn't make a single first-class appearance last season, after single outings in 2020 and 2021.
Dane Schadendorf (Nathan Stirk/Getty Images for Surrey CCC)
Matthew Montgomery, 22 (Nottinghamshire)
The South African enjoyed a fine 2022 for the Division Two champions.
Called into the first team near the end of the campaign, he scored 369 runs at 46.12. This included a maiden first-class century, a score of 178 against Durham in the final match of the season.
A regular in the Royal London Cup, outings during September's Championship rounds point to a more significant role in four-day cricket this summer.
"What has stood out for everyone watching on, is how Matt has handled himself since getting into the first team," said Moores. "He has a calmness and composure when he bats, and that bodes well at such a young age.
"He deserves a lot of credit as he dominated second XI cricket, before earning his place in the County Championship team when Ben Duckett was called up for the Lions."
Ben Duckett's England commitments may give him further opportunities later in the season. But after an explosive end to the 2022 term, it can't be long before they find him a place in the team.
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