Leicestershire County Cricket Club have today announced that 19 year old Zak Chappell has confirmed his commitment to the club for the near future.
The young player, who hails from Lincolnshire, announced his arrival onto the county cricket scene when he fell just four runs short of a century on debut for the Foxes in their final LVCC match of the 2015 season. His 96 off 122 balls was a county record, being the highest ever innings by a Leicestershire number 10.
The youngster impressed elsewhere in that same match, dismissing opening batsman Ben Slater in both innings, and also made a solid showing in his list A debut against Worcestershire earlier in the season.
Leicestershire have a history of nurturing their home grown talent into quality players and, if the decent beginnings of Chappell can develop into something more long term it can only be a positive for the Foxes.
Unsurprisingly, Elite Performance Director Andrew McDonald is pleased to have secured his signature.
Commenting on the signing today, he said: “Zak is a highly talented young cricketer who showed what he was all about during the game at Derbyshire last season. He played beautifully with the bat and we were all sitting on the balcony willing him on to make a hundred.
“Zak then showed real promise with the ball too and we are encouraged by his progress. Zak has worked extremely hard on his game over the winter and we are looking forward to seeing him continue his development over the next two seasons.”