Late-bloomer Laurie seeks Hove happiness
FIRST striking a ball in anger aged 15 and playing his maiden full season a decade later, Laurie Evans is no stranger to a late development in the game.
But, with a new home in Sussex after signing a three-year deal following his release a year early from his contract at Warwickshire, the 29-year-old is looking forward to his latest self-reinvention – as a permanent first-class batsman.
Having enjoyed some heavy runscoring seasons across the longest format – averaging 50 in 2013 – last term proved a disruptive enterprise for Evans at Edgbaston, restricted to two matches and forced to settle only for regular outings in limitedovers cricket.
But as the Lambeth-born batsman himself admits, settling is not in his nature.
And despite averaging 64 in Warwickshire’s One-Day Cup title-winning campaign just a few months ago, Evans is no doubt as to where his cricket desires lie, even taking a divisional drop just to get a regular berth at Hove.
“Last year was frustrating,” he admitted. “When you have someone like Ian Bell coming back there’s going to be lots of competition, I felt I’d scored enough to get the chance but it wasn’t to be.
“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, I’m a late bloomer but always had the ability to hit the ball out of the park and it’s been quite easy to slot into a one-day team.
“But with four-day cricket, I’ve made it my business to score runs wherever I’ve played, I have nearly 30 2nd XI hundreds and that weight of runs is important to me.
“I’ve done OK in first-class cricket, not been as selfish with runs possibly, but I know more about my game and have that experience, so hopefully Sussex can help me flourish.”
Such was the desire for Evans and Sussex to link up, just a week surpassed between permission from Warwickshire and a signature at Hove, with outgoing chief executive Zac Toumazi a heavy influence on the switch.
It’s a move which the batsman believes can be beneficial to the club as well as seeking personal gain, with promotion back to Division One the first thing on the agenda having been relegated in 2015.
And with the likes of South African international Vernon Philander bolstering the attack early in the season, it’s a task the new recruit believes is perfectly in hand.
He added: “Zac and I knew each other from Surrey a long time ago so it was an easy and smooth process, so I’m very grateful to have that opportunity.
“For me, it was about working out the best option going forward. Sussex are a very ambitious club, they were in Division One for a long time and I feel they have the players to go back up and we’ll be looking to push in all three formats – it's something we're very much capable of doing so long as we can get that bit of luck.
“I’ve been used to that experience in the batting line-up, which is vital, but you need the good mix and Sussex are just coming into that, the next few years look set to have a fantastic blend of youth and older hands and I’m very much looking forward to being a part of that.”