Telo - the latest in a long line?

It's no real surprise that South Africa has been the source of Derbyshire's newest batting discovery, Dominic Telo.
For one thing, of course, the quota system now means that there are fewer possibilities for players on merit. South Africa have a number of excellent batsmen and while Telo looks to have huge potential, the reality is that he would have had a lengthy wait to make their Test side, and he may well become an international cricketer for England more quickly.
Time will tell, but the small yet stocky South African, who broke all the records at school with his aggressive batting, is the latest in a long line of South Africans who have by and large graced the county's grounds.
Following on from Chris Wilkins, we have had Eddie Barlow, Peter Kirsten, Adrian Kuiper, Daryll Cullinan, as well as Andrew Gait and James Bryant. The latter two were the least successful, but both played decent innings and Bryant suffered a serious injury just as he was starting to get to grips with the county game.
While Cullinan started like a train but then fell victim to the disparate forces of a volatile dressing room, Barlow, Kirsten and Kuiper all played a major role in improving fortunes and winning trophies. All were capable of brilliance on a regular basis and entertained. The former was one of the greatest players ever produced by the country, while Kirsten may well have left his mark on Test cricket but for his career coinciding for the most part with their exile. Kuiper was not in the same league but was, with Chris Wilkins, the biggest hitter I have seen in Derbyshire colours.
It sets a challenge for young Mr Telo, but we look forward to seeing his talents flourish in the months and years ahead.