Sam Northeast

The biggest signing of the 2018 season - Sam Northeast moved from Kent to Hampshire after playing for more than 10 years at the former county side. He was also the Kent captain from 2015 until leaving them at the end of the 2017 season. Tells you the kind of player Kent lost and the one Hampshire gained.

Northeast was destined for greater things since a young age, but was never able to break into the England squad or the Lions. A right-hand middle order batsman who caught the eye when he was just 13 - scoring 19 hundreds in a year and Kent made sure he was well looked after. They sent coaches to work with him and surely he won the Bunbury scholarship.

In 2005, Northeast made his Kent Second XI debut against Durham and scored 96. The runs kept flowing as he was selected for England's age group teams - Under 15 and Under 19 respectively. He was also part of the England U 19 squad for the 2008 World Cup. But that was the last he came to wearing a three lions jersey.

The initial years at Kent were up and down for Northeast. Having made his debut in 2007, his maiden first class hundred came at the end of 2009. He cemented his place by 2010, but lost his place in the side soon after and was back to playing for the Second XI. The 2012 season saw Northeast grow as a batsman, scoring heavily and making it back to the First XI - accumulating 1400 across formats and winning the 'Kent Batsman of the Year'.

Northeast was handed the vice captaincy in 2014 but a lean patch saw him relegated to the Second XI once again, he came back at the end of the season and scored four hundreds. Northeast found his perfect batting position after being played as an opener and number three, it was number five where he was most comfortable at and stuck to that position.

As a batsman, Northeast was always earmarked as one to watch out for, but he was also groomed to be a leader. There were very few at his age who could handle captaincy and the responsibilities of his side's middle order. In fact, Northeast was more involved once he took over from Rob Key, playing a leading role in selection, recruitment, contracts and admin, in between all this being a prolific run-scorer for Kent.

The only regret Northeast might have is that he was not able to promote Kent to Division One. They missed out narrowly in 2016, when Essex were promoted and also foundered the chance the following season. The growing frustration to play top grade cricket and Kent not being able to fulfill his desire, Northeast decided to move on and signed with Hampshire.

He has had a reasonable start for Hampshire as he came on the back of playing in the North-South series, where he scored 118 in the first game before suffering a hamstring injury. Still 28, the ultimate dream for Northeast remains to represent England and Hampshire might help him achieve that.

General trivia: Northeast was not only good at cricket. He's like another AB de Villiers when it comes to sports. He was a national schools rackets champion, a county squash player and cross-country runner, and good enough at football and rugby to have been offered county trials.

By Akshay Maanay