HARRY FINCH wants to follow in the run-making footsteps of team-mates – and a stable-mate.

The Sussex batsman has tuned up for a return to Championship action with a century for the second team.

He has a few good acts to follow as he looks to take that form into the second division clash at Northamptonshire, starting today (11am).

Finch missed Sussex’s gritty four-day win at Durham before the Royal London One-Day Cup kicked in.

But he was glad to see precious runs from Luke Wells and Stiaan van Zyl secure a win in the North East.

Finch made 64, then 115, as a strong Sussex IIs beat the MCC Young Cricketers by 384 runs at High Wycombe.

Phil Salt, Tom Haines, Wells, Laurie Evans, Delray Rawlins, Michael Burgess, Danny Briggs and Abi Sakande were all involved.

Finch said: “I’ve not really played red-ball for four or five weeks because I missed the game at Durham with split webbing “I needed a bit of a hit against the red ball.

“I can’t wait to get going. We now have eight games in a row which will give everyone a chance to get going and it will be a crucial period for us.”

Finch said there was no obligation to play in the IIs game as far as head coach Jason Gillespie was concerned.

But a free week provided by their exit from the RLODC and then another as the odd team out in the latest Championship round meant the timing was perfect.

Finch said: “The 50-overs competition is quite hard work with the amount of games in a short period of time.

“There’s lots of travelling and playing and training “It was nice to get a good rest. Then a few of us played in the IIs.

“We felt we needed that and it was something we wanted to do.

“It’s better than practising, especially if you are a batsman and you get chance to spend time out in the middle.

“Dizzy is very chilled out about it. It’s up to the individuals.

“I don’t think he would have forced anybody to play.

“But the majority of us decided we fancied a game.”

Finch, who played in the opening defeat at home to Leicestershire, recognises the value of the win at Emirates Riverside.

He said: “It was very important to bounce back.

“It’s still early in the season but you don’t want to lose your first two games.

“It’s a tough place to go, a tough wicket, but Luke Wells was amazing and so was Stiaan Van Zyl.”

Now Finch hopes to follow suit – and maybe even do something similar to Gray-Nicholls stablemate Dom Sibley.

The Warwickshire batsman ended last season with two centuries against the red ball and added four in as many matches this term.

Finch congratulated him on the feat via Twitter.

He later told The Argus: “I played England under-18s with him and we got on pretty well.

“These days I live with Michael Burgess and they are best mates so I have got to know him a bit better.

“Getting to 100 in six games in a row is good going, regardless of who you are.”

Sussex squad: Brown, Briggs, Evans, Finch, Haines, Hamza, Jordan, Sakande, Salt, Van Zyl, Warner, Wells, Wiese.