Kai Appleby becomes Minster's latest signing

Prolific batsmen Kai Appleby has become the latest player to sign for Minster Cricket Club.

The 20-year-old captained Whitstable in Kent League Division 2 last season and has scored nearly 6,000 runs for his home town club. Appleby, who bats anywhere in the top five, was a member of the county's age group teams and was a regular for Kent 2nd XI in 2016 and 2017. Last year he played 22 games for Whitstable, scoring 1,068 runs, including back-to-back knocks of 184 and 163 in June.

Kai will also undertake a junior coaching role within the club, another huge boost for the growing junior section of the club, and will aim to develop some of the promising talent within the ranks.

He said: "I am looking forward to playing for Minster next season. I played a lot of cricket with Minster's senior coach Fabian Cowdrey when I was part of the Kent 2s set-up and he enjoyed his first season with them this summer. I totally enjoyed my time with Whitstable but feel now is the right time for a new challenge. Hopefully, I can play a vital role in another successful season for Minster in 2019.”

Appleby - who played one season for Sandwich in the Kent League Premier Division in 2017 - made his first team debut for Whitstable aged just 14.

Minster announced last week that Essex all-rounder Matt Coles will be involved next season when his county commitments allow, and coach Fabian Cowdrey will also be returning for the 2019 season.