Tom Alsop joins Sussex on season-long loan

The Hampshire wicketkeeper-batter scored 823 runs in all formats in 2021 and will add valuable experience and depth to Sussex's top order

Hampshire wicketkeeper-batter Tom Alsop has joined Sussex on a season-long loan.

He will be available for all of the club’s matches in the LV= Insurance County Championship, Royal London Cup and T20 Blast.

Last season, Alsop made 23 appearances in all formats for Hampshire, scoring 564 runs at 25.63 in the County Championship, 238 List A runs and 21 runs in the T20 Blast.

Sussex have suffered some high-profile departures over the past two years, losing no.3 Luke Wells ahead of the 2021 season and Ben Brown (Hampshire) and Phil Salt (Lancashire) at the end of last year.

Brown, a fellow wicketkeeper-batter, was a particular loss, having scored 976 runs in the County Championship and 252 runs in the Royal London Cup last season.

Alsop’s arrival therefore plugs an obvious gap in Sussex’s squad and adds additional depth to the wicketkeeping unit, which also includes 20-year-old Oli Carter and overseas duo Mohammad Rizwan and Josh Philippe – the latter is a partial replacement for the Pakistan international.

^{Tom Alsop batting for Hampshire in the Royal London Cup [Mike Hewitt/Getty Images]}

The 26-year-old, who has 63 first-class appearances and 54 List A appearances to his name, also adds valuable experience to Sussex’s young squad. Prior to the recruitment of Alsop and overseas signing Cheteshwar Pujara, the majority of Sussex’s top-order options were aged 23 or under.

The move makes sense for Alsop, too, with the arrival of top-order batters Brown and Nick Gubbins likely limiting his playing opportunities at Hampshire. Lewis McManus, meanwhile, has a tight grip on the gloves in all three formats, taking 43 catches and completing seven stumpings in 2021.

Commenting on signing Alsop on loan, Sussex head coach, Ian Salisbury, said: "We are excited to have Tom on loan for the whole season. We’d identified a lack of top three batters on the staff and see Tom as a talented top order player.

"He is ready for a new challenge and to work with what I believe is one of the best batting coaches in the country. He’s a top lad who I have no doubt will fit into the squad brilliantly alongside our young homegrown talent."

Hampshire’s director of cricket, Giles White, added: "This opportunity at Sussex provides Tom with first XI cricket at a time when it’s limited here at Hampshire.Hopefully Tom finds early form and starts the season strongly."

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