Essex Cricket is delighted to announce that Colchester-born batter Charlie Allison has signed a rookie contract covering the remainder of the 2023 season.
Allison, 18, made his Essex 2nd XI debut in a 10-wicket T20 victory against Middlesex at Southend’s Garon Park in May last year, playing alongside elder brother, and established Essex first-teamer, Ben.
In nine 2nd XI T20s to date, Allison has a strike rate of 150.63, and he has further underlined his credentials in the 2nd XI Championship this season by crunching consecutive centuries against Middlesex and Hampshire for a total of 226 runs in just 282 balls.
The right-hander has been on the Essex age-group pathway from under-9 level, and in July 2018, aged just 13, he returned figures of 2/24 from seven overs in a nine-wicket victory over Norfolk in a 50-over match.
In club cricket, Allison plays for his hometown team of Colchester and East Essex, and last year hit 249 runs at 41.50 and took 13 wickets at 20.84 in the Essex Cricket League Premier Division.
Allison will wear number 56, and after committing his immediate future to the Club, he said: “I’m thrilled to sign this contract with Essex, which is a huge step forward in my career.
“With a competition like the One Day Cup, which gives developing players more of a chance to make their first-team debut than ever before, just around the corner, it feels like a really exciting time to come on board.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has helped me get to this point, and I can’t wait to hopefully step on the field and win matches for my home county.”
Alongside Allison, the Club is pleased to announce that Mackenzie Jones has also signed a short-term rookie deal and is in contention to be involved in the NCAA Showcase Match against Bedfordshire in Dunstable on Sunday.
Jones has made three appearances for the 2nd XI so far this season, and in the same match against Hampshire which saw Allison post the second of his back-to-back hundreds, he contributed an unbeaten 16 as well as figures of 1/12 from six overs.
