Following a quite fantastic season last summer, where the 14-year-old won the NatWest Division I Cricketer of the Year award after a series of fine performances for Farmers-Caesareans 2nds, the son of former Island player and now JCB chairman of selectors Tony Carlyon will hope to impress county selectors tomorrow.
The off-spinner, who is a handy top-order batsman, also performed well for Jersey at the European Under-15s Championships at Rugby School last season, gaining a place in the team of the tournament in the process.
Jersey head coach Neil MacRae has been impressed by Carlyon’s ability and work ethic – and the head coach believes he’s more than capable of competing alongside some of the most promising young players in the country.
‘Tomorrow is a trial in the sense that the coaches will have a look at how Harrison performs but he will also be able to gauge the level of the other players there,’ said the Scot.
Jersey coach Neil MacRae
‘Hopefully he’ll be invited back for more sessions and it will be a path for him to play some games for the Sussex under-15s in the summer. He’s actually still a year young for the under-15s, which means he should have a couple of years training with this age group.’
On the all-rounder’s ability, the head coach added: ‘He’s done really well in training, he’s working hard, kicking on and he’s making good progress all the time. This is an exciting step for him and it’s a vital part of his development.’
Following the rise of Jenner, who was selected to join the Sussex Academy in December after good performances for the county club’s Emerging Players Programme, and now the invitation for Carlyon to attend a trial, MacRae hopes the Island can forge a strong relationship with Sussex.
‘We’ve been developing our links with Sussex through Jonty and I was over there at the end of last summer to integrate what they do, with what we do,’ he explained.
‘Sussex indicated that they’d be interested in young Jersey players with the potential to perform. Harrison is the next step in developing that link, where our young cricketers will be given an opportunity to experience county cricket and how it works.
‘It’s a starting point for Harrison to broaden his experiences, and allow our program to broaden as well.’
MacRae will travel with Carlyon, as he bids to further strengthen the bond between the Island and the county cricket club.
