Joey Evison, the 17-year-old Nottinghamshire all-rounder who was recently handed his first-class debut, has signed a professional contract with the Club.
The England under 19 international, who marked his maiden senior innings against Warwickshire last week with an assured 45, has agreed a three-year deal.
Evison, a product of the Nottinghamshire age-group system, became the youngest player to represent Nottinghamshire since Bilal Shafayat in 2001 when making his debut last week.
The Peterborough-born teenager, who is the first player born in the 2000s to represent Notts, has made four appearances for England’s under 19s this summer.
And, while he admits becoming a professional cricketer represents one mission accomplished, his ambitions in cricket stretch much further.
“It’s a dream come true to get my first professional deal,” said Evison.
“It’s something I’ve been working towards since a very young age. My first-class debut was special, everyone in the dressing room welcomed me and it was a massive milestone in my career.
“Now I’ve got my first deal, it’s another goal ticked off and the hard work starts again on the journey forward.”
Following in the footsteps of Matthew Carter, Evison is the latest product of Nottinghamshire’s link-up with Lincolnshire.
Stamford School, where Evison currently studies, has a proud cricketing tradition and was also attended by Notts’ fast-bowler, Zak Chappell.
Celebrated as a precocious talent from a tender age, Evison first reached three figures for Lincolnshire’s under 10s.
In 2017, at the age of 15, his potential was underlined with a Nottinghamshire Premier League ton for the club’s Academy team against Attenborough.
With national Under 19 call-ups and ascension to the first team following in the intervening summers, Head Coach Peter Moores is excited to see the progression of Evison over the next three years.
“Joey’s certainly a real talent – that’s been there for everyone to see for a while,” said Head Coach Peter Moores.
“It’s exciting for him and for the Club because he seems to have that ability to step up to new levels of cricket and adapt.
“That’s a difficult skill for anybody, particularly when stepping into the first-class game as Joey did last week.
“Not just because of the runs he put on the board – but also the way he went about it, batting in the top six – was hugely impressive.
“He’s been playing good cricket across different levels for a while and now is his opportunity to do that at the professional standard and try to move his game forward.
“We’ve demonstrated for a number of years now that, if players show the potential to be good enough, there will be opportunities for them to play.
“Jack Blatherwick, Liam Patterson-White and now Joey are all recent additions to the professional ranks on the back of that, and there will be more to follow.”
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Nottinghamshire Membership for the 2020 season is on sale, with those who join for next season currently bestowed exclusive access to applying for international tickets.