'Hungry' Bartlett capable of going 'to the next level' after switch to Northants

The 25-year-old has agreed to make the switch to the County Ground from Somerset at the end of this summer, and the Northants head coach is delighted to have secured his services.

Sadler believes the former England Under-19 international has already shown he is proven at first-class level, with more than 2,500 runs under his belt and eight centuries to his name, but also that he is somebody capable of improving his game.

And the head coach also feels Bartlett will add some steel, strength and class to what has been a struggling and fragile Northants top order.

"George is somebody who brings a bit of experience, but he is also somebody who is young enough to kick on and go to the next level," said Sadler.

"He has got decent numbers down at Somerset, but in his words he always felt he was the last man in the side and the first man out.

"I think he had a good run a couple of years ago, and he can play spin as well from what we have seen and heard, which ties in with an area of our weakness a little bit.

"If nothing else, he is somebody who is hungry, he is very, very keen to come to Northampton and wants to play for Northampton which is good.

"He is also somebody who has that bit of experience and decent numbers, but he is hungry to improve on that and cement his place in our side. He also adds competition for places, which is always healthy."

For Somerset this season, Bartlett has scored 395 runs at 30.38, hitting two centuries and one half-century - which was in the Cidermen's win over Northants at the County Ground last month.

And although they aren't exactly exceptional figures, on a par with the 2023 stats of the likes of Saif Zaib and Emilio Gay, and short of the numbers of the likes of Sam Whiteman, Rob Keogh and skipper Luke Procter, Sadler clearly believes Bartlett will stiffen up what has been a flimsy batting line-up.

"His signing does strengthen the batting department," said the head coach.

"That has probably been the area of most concern this year, that the batters haven't fired in any of the formats really.

"We did play in some horrendously tough conditions early in the season, with balls nipping everywhere on green pitches, and playing under overcast conditions with the floodlights on, so there were some tough conditions for the batters early season. I felt for them.

"But ultimately, over the course of the season, batting has been the biggest concern as they just haven't fired.

"Individually, they have shown signs of being in decent touch at times, but as a unit we have not fired anywhere as we could have done, so that is why we feel George is a good acquisition for us."

The player himself believes the move to Northants is ‘a new challenge’ that he intends to ‘grab with both hands’.

“I think that the time is right for me to look at new opportunities and have a bit of a re-set,” said Bartlett.

“This move will allow me to do that and I’m looking forward to the new challenge which I can hopefully grab with both hands.

“Somerset has been a massive part of my life and I’ve made some great memories here. There are great people at the club. I’ve been here since I was about nine years old, and I’ve loved every minute."

Somerset director of cricket Andy Hurry added: “We would like to thank George for all his contributions during his time with us, from playing age group cricket through to earning his place on the professional staff.

“He can be proud of the part he played in our history over recent years, and the contributions he has made in our success on the field.

“After speaking with George, a fresh challenge with the opportunity of stronger white-ball opportunities is something we both agree is important for his career ambitions and development.”

Bartlett will team up with Northants in November, when the squad will start their winter preparations for next season.