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The biggest signing of the 2018 season - Sam Northeast moved from Kent to Hampshire after playing for more than 10 years at the former county side. He was also the Kent captain from 2015 until leaving them at the end of the 2017 season. Tells you the kind of player Kent lost and the one Hampshire gained. Northeast was destined for greater things since a young age, but was never able to break into the England squad or the Lions. A right-hand middle order batsman who caught the eye when he was just 13 - scoring 19 hundreds in a year and Kent made sure he was well looked after. They sent coaches to work with him and surely he won the Bunbury scholarship. In 2005, Northeast made his Kent Second XI debut against Durham and scored 96. The runs kept flowing as he was selected for England's age group teams - Under 15 and Under 19 respectively. He was also part of the England U 19 squad for the 2008 World Cup. But that was the last he came to wearing a three lions jersey. The initial years at Kent were up and down for Northeast. Having made his debut in 2007, his maiden first class hundred came at the end of 2009. He cemented his place by 2010, but lost his place in the side soon after and was back to playing for the Second XI. The 2012 season saw Northeast grow as a batsman, scoring heavily and making it back to the First XI - accumulating 1400 across formats and winning the 'Kent Batsman of the Year'. Northeast was handed the vice captaincy in 2014 but a lean patch saw him relegated to the Second XI once again, he came back at the end of the season and scored four hundreds. Northeast found his perfect batting position after being played as an opener and number three, it was number five where he was most comfortable at and stuck to that position.
