Chris Piesley wins 2nd XI Player of the Year award

MCC Young CricketerChris Piesleyhas been awarded the 2nd XI Player of the Year trophy after a brilliant summer with the bat.

The 22-year-old opener from Kent, was the top scorer in the Second XI Championship during the 2014 season, making 941 runs from 21 innings at an average of 47.50 – incuding three centuries.

He became just the third MCC Young Cricketer to score more than 900 runs in a SEC season, following in the footsteps of Nottinghamshire and England opener Alex Hales and Middlesex’s Dawid Malan.

In addition, Piesley picked up 12 useful wickets at an average of 31.75 with his off-spin.

In the Second XI Trophy, the 50-over competition, Piesley averaged 41.09 from 11 innings, featuring one century, while he compiled 202 runs at an average of 42.40 in the Second XI T20 competition.

MCC Head Coach Mark Alleyne described Piesley as a highly skilled cricketer.

He said: “Chris excelled at the top of the order in all formats to show he has the versatility to cope with the demands of today’s game.

“He has a great method and understands the game well – ably demonstrated when he captained the side.

“Chris’ bowling – often under-used – showed regular rewards. He was constant threat all year and fully deserves this accolade for his consistency in all departments.”

Piesley played first-class cricket for Kent in 2010 and 2011, and could earn a professional contract for the 2015 summer after interest from several counties.

He represented Sussex and Kent’s second teams in 2014, making scores of 74 and 34* against the Young Cricketers in August.

Piesley was one of England’s substitute fieldsmen during the 2013 Investec Ashes Series Test against Australia at Lord’s.