Bowling at the likes of Stuart Law and Carl Hooper in front of live TV cameras certainly beats what Luke Wright found himself doing during the winter.

Sussex's new all-rounder spent a week working in a cheese factory near his Leicestershire home to earn a few extra bob before helping England's under-19 team reach the semi-finals of the World Cup.

"I was supposed to be there for a month," he laughed.

"My job was putting stickers on the different cheeses, but I only lasted a week. It took me a long time before I could face cheese again."

Fortunately for Wright, it should be a long time before he has to consider a return to the cheese factory or anything else in civvy street for that matter.

The 19-year-old started his first season with Sussex as third choice back-up all-rounder to Robin Martin-Jenkins. But some impressive performances in the last month, with both bat and ball, have seen him move in front of both Kevin Innes and Carl Hopkinson in the pecking order.

Not too much was made about his hundred against Loughborough UCCE when he made his first-class debut for Sussex a month ago.

The students' bowling was not up to county standard, but adding his name to the list of just five other players who have made a hundred on debut for Sussex was a nice way to announce himself nevertheless.

Wickets and runs followed in a second team game against Hampshire and, on the recommendation of coach Mark Robinson, Wright got his big chance in the C&G Trophy tie against Lancashire a fortnight ago.

He certainly did not look over-awed by the big occasion, adding a noticable edge to Sussex's close-to-the-wicket fielding, bowling eight overs at more than medium pace and then smashing 21 runs in a hurry before failing to keep out a yorker from Andrew Flintoff.

In fact the only person who seemed fazed by it all was his skipper Chris Adams.

At the toss, Sky pundit Paul Allott admitted he had never heard of Wright. Adams mentioned he was the brother of another former Leicestershire player Ashley, who had a few games for Sussex seconds last season, and then promptly called him Ashley live on air after the coin had been flipped.

Sussex have not shied from giving youth a chance in recent years and the feeling at Hove is that Wright could be the best youngster to emerge since Matt Prior and Tim Ambrose in 2001. The only pity is that he is not home-grown, but that is not his fault.

Wright, like the rest of his former Leicestershire team-mates, was just a bit-part player last September when Sussex clinched their first Championship.

Robinson and director of cricket Peter Moores, however, spotted that Wright still ran in with purpose when there were more than 500 runs already on the board and some of his team-mates appeared to have given up the ghost.

Even though he had a year remaining on his contract at Grace Road, Wright asked to be released from the county he had first played for as a 12-year-old and Sussex quickly stepped in.

Wright expected to have to wait for his chance but seven weeks into the season he appears to have nailed down a place in the one-day side and this week found himself in the Championship squad for the first time at Old Trafford.

A lot has happened in such a short space of time, but he has no trouble keeping things in perspective.

"I've never looked too far ahead in my career," he said. "I've always tried to play in the present, to do as well as I can and see where it takes me.

"We have a small staff so there's always going to be a chance if we have injuries or a loss of form but you still have to warrant your opportunity."

Robinson has worked hard to smooth out the rough edges in the young tyro's bowling action.

Hooper certainly looked surprised at the pace Wright generated in the C&G game when some of his deliveries were clocked at more than 80mph.

He went wicketless that day but was rewarded for another hostile spell in Sunday's morale-boosting totesport League triumph over Somerset with two crucial wickets after Adams had given him the responsibility of bowling at the end.

The joyful leap and clench-fisted celebration which came after he rearranged Keith Parsons' poles in the penultimate over suggested someone relishing the opportunity to make a bit of a name for himself.

"Nothing seems to worry Luke and that is one of the thing which has impressed me since he came into the one-day side," said Adams.

"We saw against Loughborough and briefly in the C&G game that he has got plenty of shots and bowling-wise he's very aggressive, he hits the deck hard. He definitely adds something to the side and we're delighted with the progress he has made."

Sussex supporters like what they see as well, but Wright is by no means the finished article. The early indications are though that the county have found a player with the capability to become a genuine all-rounder strong in both disciplines.

"I'm pleased with how it's going," he added.

"I consider myself a proper all-rounder but I knew when I came to Sussex that I had work to do, particularly on my bowling. But that feels really smooth now.

"It was nice to get a hundred on my debut.

"I didn't know that so few players had got a century on their debuts until I read it in the paper so that was a nice bonus, but to be honest I was just pleased to be playing. I'm taking one step at a time really."