Charlie Tear continues to make history

After 160 minutes at the crease on a warm August day in Northampton, breeze blowing in softly from the north-east, Charlie Tear walked off the field having made very near a run for every minute he was at the crease. This was a triumph of an innings, a museum piece. For after 2 and a bit hours the 21-year-old had succeeded in giving his Sharks the advantage. The Northamptonshire attack had lost their lines, lost their minds. At the day's end with the sun sinking, Sussex wrapped up a seven-wicket victory to keep those Metro Bank One Day Cup hopes alight. Tear's stint out in the middle was the catalyst, was the reason.

Those 159 runs racked up off just 146 deliveries is the seventh-highest individual List A score for a Sussex batter, weaving his way amongst some of the finest to have represented the county. Amongst the list of accolades from yesterday was one that features Tom Haines, who similarly fought bravely and brilliantly for his score of 76. Together, they put on an opening partnership worth 216 - a county record partnership versus Northamptonshire in List A cricket. 

Whilst the records showered down on the Scotland international yesterday, one must not forget the wicket-keeper/batter's achievements in a different shade of blue. A batter who displays a wonderful repertoire of shots, he has featured heavily for his nation in recent months. He came away from it with an ODI high score of 80. That arriving in a match against Nepal in a Cricket World Cup League 2 clash.

And then, of course, the big one. A mesmerising, magnificent innings for the Sussex 2nd XI earlier this campaign saw Tear break numerous county records alongside Dan Ibrahim. It was a knock and partnership for the ages. 317* off the bat of Tear is a record individual score for Sussex in the 2nd XI Championship, and one that is unlikely to be beaten for quite some time. It was very nearly the highest 2nd XI Championship score of all time. He'll have to settle for the third-highest score, yet the eyebrows were unequivocally raised. 

The partnership alongside Ibrahim, another young Sussex talent that will further improve with time, amassed a startling 446 runs - a record stand for any Sussex pair in the 2nd XI Championship. It was the second-largest partnership ever record in 2nd XI Championship history, too, as the future of Sussex's batting appears to be in immensely capable hands. 

There will be further opportunities under the spotlight for Tear and Ibrahim in years' to come. The latter signing a contract extension to the end of the 2027 season, whilst Tear signed a fresh contract last year. There will always be difficult roads to navigate when batting at the top of the order, but with an undeniable ability with the bat in hand, the runs will flow, and the consistencies will expand. Whatever happens next, Tear can relish in a season that just keeps on giving.