REIGATE Priory's Richie Oliver has signed a contract to play for Worcestershire until the end of the 2015 season.
The batsman left Worcestershire with little option but to offer him a deal after a series of match-winning performances in the NatWest T20 Blast while on trial with the county side.
It was only by chance Oliver found himself turning out for the Rapids.
The 24-year-old had already been expecting a busy summer playing and coaching at Reigate Priory while juggling captaining minor county side Shropshire. However, Oliver was then asked by his former Shropshire coach to fill in for the Worcestershire seconds, and a couple of centuries later found himself turning out for the Rapids in the T20.
It was an opportunity Oliver grasped with both hands, top-scoring with 43 on his debut against Durham, and impressing enough to open the batting in every T20 game since with scores of 34, 4, 77, 22 and 8.
And the Stoke-on-Trent born player has been rewarded with his first professional contract, which keeps him at Worcestershire for the rest of 2014 and also 2015.
Worcestershire director of cricket Steve Rhodes said: "Richard has been making a convincing case to be given a contract and showing what a good player he is.
"He has made sizeable contributions in three of the four T20 games so far and I think he and Moeen Ali enjoy batting with each other and complement each other.
"What has impressed me is that he hasn't looked out of place and he has got a good cricketing brain. What he does do is hit the ball in some funny areas. He's got a very good eye, he times the ball and can hit the ball some distance."
Despite the professional contract, Oliver is adamant Reigate Priory have not seen the last of him this season, and hopes his story convinces other aspiring cricketers to never give up on their ambitions to play the county game.
"It's something I've been working hard towards for a long time," Oliver said. "A lot of young cricketers come straight out of school and are given a professional contract and that's sometimes that for 20 years, but when they come out of the game they are a bit lost. Whereas I've been around the world playing for six years and had a few experiences which I believe has given me a bit of maturity, although some may argue otherwise.
"It's stood me in good stead. I guess it is a bit of a fairytale, but I hope this is just the beginning of the story."
Oliver is hoping to test himself in the other formats of the game.
"I want to keep my place in the T20 and then hopefully I'll get my chance in the one-day game when it comes around," he said. "And if I continue to get the runs then it would be nice to make my County Championship debut."
