George Garton admits he had to play it cool after making a dream start to his first class career.

The England Under-19 international enhanced his growing reputation by taking a wicket with his first ball in Sussex’s game against Leeds/Bradford MCCU at Hove yesterday.

Garton, 18, had opener Henry Thompson caught behind and hopes he can further catch the eye of coach Mark Davis ahead of the opening match of the County Championship season at Northamptonshire on Sunday.

The left-arm seamer said: “The wicket was pretty flat so I was just hoping my first ball wasn’t hit for four when I came on. To go and take a wicket was a bit of a shock, especially as it wasn’t the best of deliveries.

“I was playing it cool on the out- side but on the inside I was thinking ‘did that really happen?’. One of the players joked ‘it’s all downhill from here’ but hopefully I can keep developing and play as many games as possible this season.

“It was a tough day with the weather and the wicket not offering much help to the bowlers but taking that wicket made it slightly more enjoyable. You look forward to making your first class debut and now that is one of my goals for the year ticked off I can move on to the next.”

Garton’s instant success was one of only two wickets to fall at Hove yesterday as the students reached 192-2 in response to Sussex’s first innings total of 387-4 declared