Northants opener Gay to leave at end of season

Emilio Gay went to the same Bedford school as former England skipper Sir Alastair Cook

Northamptonshire opener Emilio Gay has turned down the offer of a new contract and will be leaving at the end of the season in pursuit of enhancing his international ambitions.

The 24-year-old Bedford-born left-hander has scored 2,786 first-class runs in 47 matches for Northants since making his debut against Gloucestershire in 2019 - the game in which the county last won promotion.

He has also made 689 runs in 26 List A matches and a further 290 in 13 T20 Blast appearances.

“It is a shame that Emilio’s future doesn’t lie with us, but he is very ambitious and believes a fresh challenge will be the best thing for him on his quest to play international cricket," Northants head coach head coach John Sadler said.

"From early we always believed Emilio would become a high-class batsman. He has a great work ethic and this is one of the reasons his game has developed so rapidly."

Gay has made six centuries in first-class cricket with a best score of 261.

"They [Northants] enabled me to fulfil my childhood dream, to become a professional cricket player," Gay said.

"Over the last decade there have been so many people who have helped me progress. Northants will always have a special place in my heart."

Northants are second bottom in Division Two of the County Championship with five games left when the competition resumes in late August - and they have lost their first three games in the One-Day Cup.

They finished runners-up in their T20 Blast group and are through to a home quarter-final against Somerset on 5 September.