Prior urges RHB to stay (From The Argus)

Prior urges RHB to stay

11:00am Thursday 3rd December 2009 in Sport By Bruce Talbot

Matt Prior today urged Rory Hamilton-Brown to stay at Hove because he fears captaining Surrey might be too big a challenge for his Sussex team-mate.

Surrey want Hamilton-Brown to be their new skipper and have asked Sussex for permission to speak to the 22-year-old.

But Prior thinks Hamilton-Brown’s lack of experience - he has only played eight-first class games - makes The Oval job a “massive ask.”

He said: “That will be a massive responsibility for Rory to go to a club like Surrey.

“With the big egos and personalities there - a 22-year-old captaining Mark Ramprakash for instance - that is going to be hard work.

“It’s going to be hard work for anyone, let alone a guy who has just played a handful of Championship games. If he wants to take on that responsibility then good luck to him but it’s a massive ask.”

Sussex have yet to decide whether they will give Hamilton-Brown, who has a year remaining on his contract, permission to talk to Surrey where he spent three seasons before coming to Hove in 2007.

Prior added: “I would like to see Rory stay at Sussex because he is a very talented cricketer. But at Sussex I want to see players who are passionate about playing for us."

Full story plus Bruce Talbot's analysis of the possible RHB move in The Argus today.