Sussex have handed three rising teen stars new deals.

Oli Carter, 19, and 16-year-olds Dan Ibrahim and Archie Lenham have all signed rookie contracts.

Lenham put pen to paper as he prepares for more Vitality Blast action at home to Gloucestershire tomorrow (7pm).

The Eastbourne prospect has been a sensation so far in T20 and his feats follow a Championship half century on debut for Ibrahim at Headingly recently.

Lenham is the first player to appear in on the domestic T20 who was born after its debut season in 2003.

Both Lenham and Ibrahim have come through the coaching set-up at Bede’s school, which is headed by former Sussex skipper Alan Wells.

Carter scored a sensational 160 against Surrey in the Second XI Championship in May and has been serving as Phil Salt’s wicketkeeping understudy in the Blast.

Sussex coach Ian Salisbury said: “For a number of years, we’ve identified Dan and Archie as a big part of our plans for the future at Sussex. They haven’t been picked for recent first team matches to make up the numbers, but to perform and they’ve both done exactly that. “They fully deserve their contracts and have got bright futures ahead of them. This is just the start.

“Oli came out of the academy last year and made a decision off his own back to work really hard on his game. He had to navigate strict Covid protocols over the winter which meant he was often coming in for training early in the morning or after hours to avoid mixing with the squad.

“He has worked extremely hard with the coaching staff, has impressed whenever he has played in the seconds and thoroughly deserves the opportunity he now has as part of the professional squad.”