Teenage South Wilts all-rounder Jack Stearman was named Wiltshire’s Player of the Year after a season which, according to county manager Tom Morton, “he progressed beyond all expectations within such a short space of time.”
“His award for Wiltshire is very much in recognition for someone whose rise within one cricket season is quite remarkable. Jack certainly has a bright cricketing future ahead,” praised Morton, who promoted Stearman into South Wilts’ ECB Southern Premier Division side before the season ended.
Stearman, who hails from Chilmark, a small village 11 miles south-west of Salisbury, is studying Russian as one of his A-level subjects at Gillingham School.
He began the season playing in South Wilts fourth team, knocking up an unbeaten 145 in his first competitive match, a Hampshire League Regional North West 1 victory over OTs & Romsey IV at East Tytherley.
Promoted to the third team a week later, he made 113 not out at East Woodhay and, come August, was in South Wilts’ first team, making a maiden SPL century against the Hampshire Academy on the Ageas Bowl Nursery Ground.
“Jack has always been a regular Wiltshire county junior player within his own age group, regularly contributing with bat and in recent seasons the ball too. This past summer was very much a coming of age season,” Morton added.
“Having been involved in the EPP during the winter months, he was already on the radar and went on to make an unbeaten 122 for Wiltshire Under-17s against Dorset and, after he’d made that century against the Academy, was selected for his Minor Counties Championship debut against Oxfordshire.
At 17 years of age, Stearman is the youngest player to receive Wiltshire’s Player of the Year award.
“His award for Wiltshire is very much in recognition for someone whose rise within one cricket season is quite remarkable. Jack certainly has a bright cricketing future ahead,” praised Morton, who promoted Stearman into South Wilts’ ECB Southern Premier Division side before the season ended.
Stearman, who hails from Chilmark, a small village 11 miles south-west of Salisbury, is studying Russian as one of his A-level subjects at Gillingham School.
He began the season playing in South Wilts fourth team, knocking up an unbeaten 145 in his first competitive match, a Hampshire League Regional North West 1 victory over OTs & Romsey IV at East Tytherley.
Promoted to the third team a week later, he made 113 not out at East Woodhay and, come August, was in South Wilts’ first team, making a maiden SPL century against the Hampshire Academy on the Ageas Bowl Nursery Ground.
“Jack has always been a regular Wiltshire county junior player within his own age group, regularly contributing with bat and in recent seasons the ball too. This past summer was very much a coming of age season,” Morton added.
“Having been involved in the EPP during the winter months, he was already on the radar and went on to make an unbeaten 122 for Wiltshire Under-17s against Dorset and, after he’d made that century against the Academy, was selected for his Minor Counties Championship debut against Oxfordshire.
At 17 years of age, Stearman is the youngest player to receive Wiltshire’s Player of the Year award.
