HE HAS enjoyed a great winter with England U19, but Ashtead cricketer Dominic Sibley is now focused on breaking into the Surrey set-up.
The 17-year-old batsman is about to embark on his first season in the professional game, having signed a summer contract with the Kia Oval outfit following some standout performances for the Pemberton Greenish Surrey Academy.
Sibley has also impressed in recent years for Ashtead Cricket Club in the Surrey Championship Premier Division, scoring a double century as a 15-year-old, following on from another in U17 cricket.
He also carried his bat in England's first innings of the second youth Test in South Africa over the winter, scoring an unbeaten 112 as England were dismissed for 231.
That epic seven-hour knock earned him plaudits from inside and outside the England camp, with the ambitious teenager now intent on making a name for himself at Surrey too.
He said: "It has been a great winter for me and it was a great experience playing for England.
"I got a lot of acclaim for carrying my bat in that innings and that did help to give me a lot of confidence, which hopefully I can take forward now into the summer.
"I can't wait now and hopefully it will be a great summer."
Sibley will, however, have to combine his cricket with his school work, with the teenager due to sit his final exams at Whitgift School next month.
It is therefore likely that initially this summer, Sibley will play for Surrey's second XI and his local team Ashtead on Saturdays. He says he wants to help them gain promotion back to the Surrey Premier Division.
He said: "Ashtead is where I started playing cricket and it is really good to go back there and represent them.
"Playing men's cricket from an early age has really benefited my game and I love going back there to play."
It is no wonder really as it is a bit of a family affair for Sibley at his hometown club, with his father one of the selectors and his grandfather and godfather having both played there before.
But he said that while playing for Ashtead was good, he does harbour hopes of breaking into the four-day squad for the LV> County Championship and playing at the Oval.
He said: "It would be great to break into the squad and be a part of it – hopefully, it is not too far off and anything can happen."
For now though, he says he is looking forward to learning off the likes of new Surrey captain Graeme Smith and former Australia captain Ricky Ponting. This is while he targets a place in the England U19 squad for the Triangular Series with Pakistan and Bangladesh later this summer, which he hopes will help him gain selection for the U19 World Cup next year.
