Ripley delighted as Northants sign England Under 19 skipper on loan

Holden, who captains England Under 19s, has joined Northants on loan from Middlesex.

And the 19-year-old will be available for County Championship and One Day Cup matches until his loan concludes at the end of June.

Ripley first spotted Holden’s talent when the player was just 13, and the Northants boss is happy to have finally got his man.

“I have followed his progress since I first tried to get him to join our Junior Academy back in 2011,” Ripley said.

“I’m delighted to add him to the squad and add competition for places.”

Holden will join the Steelbacks as they head off on their pre-season tour to Barbados in early March.

And the Cambridge-born player said: “It’s great to get the opportunity to go to Barbados and hopefully put my name in the hat, but that’s the same for every player here.

“You’ve got to work to prove you’re worthy to start.

“Ultimately I want to play as much cricket as I can.

“Seeing (Lancashire opener) Haseeb Hameed progress the way he has and break into the England team has really given me a push.

“Obviously the ambition is to play for the England test eleven, that’s the dream.”