SUSSEX believe they have gone for both quality and quantity after announcing their academy intake for next year.

The club have awarded places to 12 “exciting” young players who have proved they have the potential to develop into stars of the future.

That is a significant increase on last year when Sussex took on just seven players and highlights a renewed drive to develop homegrown players to help offset their financial limitations compared to some of the bigger counties.

The group includes a cosmopolitan quartet –including Jersey, Bermuda and Netherlands internationals – who have retained their places for another 12 months along with eight new recruits.

Daniel Doram, Tom Haines, Jonty Jenner and Delray Rawlins will be on the programme for a second year as they push to emulate academy graduates George Garton, Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Stuart Whittingham and Phil Salt who were awarded junior professional contracts this week.

Joe Billings, Thomas Gordon, Nicholas Oxley, Benjamin Twine, Nicholas Smith and Harrison Ward are all part of the academy for the first time along with Ellen Burt and Tara Norris who have already featured for Sussex Women’s first team.

Sussex’s academy director Keith Greenfield said: “We’re hugely excited by the group we have together and are very much looking forward to the programme progressing. This year we have selected a larger but younger group, which gives us a slightly longer term view with them.

“It is also nice to a see a number of these players having progressed from our Emerging Players Programme, which begins from age 13 upwards.

“All of these players have the potential to go on to play first-class cricket or for England Women’s international team. “ Doram, 18, is a left-arm spinner who has played two first class matches for Netherlands – taking seven wickets on debut against Ireland –and one List A appearance.

Jenner, 17 starred for Jersey in the ICC World T20 qualifiers in Ireland in July – scoring an unbeaten 90 against Namibia and averaging over 50 – having joined the Sussex academy as part of their link-up with the Channel Island.

Left-arm spinner Rawlins, 18, has played 20 times for Bermuda in the ICC World Cricket League while batsman Tom Haines was named Sussex’s academy player of the year last season – scoring two centuries for the under-17s – despite only turning 17 last month.

Left-hand batsman Ward, 16, joins the academy as part of Sussex’s partnership with Oxfordshire, having scored an unbeaten 109 on his debut for the Minor Counties side against Herefordshire in July at the age of 15 and followed it up with 81 against Cornwall in the next game.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Billings set a new Sussex record when he scored 210 for the under-16s against Surrey in July, sharing in a partnership of 193 with fellow academy intake Gordon at Blackstone.

Burt and Norris are both established members of the Sussex Women’s team which won the Twenty20 Championship last season.

Jonty Jenner Age group: Under-17s Role: Batsman School: Hurstpierpoint College.

Daniel Doram Age group: Under-17s Role: Left-arm spinner School: Hurstpierpoint College.

Tom Haines Age group: Under-16s Role: Batsman School: Hurstpierpoint College.

Delray Rawlins Age group: Under-17s Role: Left-arm spinner School: St Bede’s.

Harrison Ward Age group: Under-15s Role: Batsman School: St Edward’s, Oxford.

Joe Billings Age group: Under-16s Role: Wicketkeeper-batsman School: St Bede’s.

Thomas Gordon Age group: Under-14s Role: Batsman School: St Bede’s.

Nicholas Oxley Age group: Under-16s Role: Left-arm chinamen School: Worthing College.

Nicholas Smith Age group: Under-15s Role: Right-arm medium fast bowler School: Chichester High.

Benjamin Twine Age group: Under-16s Role: Right-arm medium fast bowler School: Eastbourne College.

Tara Norris Age group: Under-17s Role: Left-arm seamer School: Portslade Aldridge Community Academy.

Ellen Burt Age group: Under-17s Role: Right-arm seamer School: Ifield Community College