Fin has Bean and gone as batter/keeper leaves Yorkshire CCC
YORKSHIRE are looking to sign wicketkeeping cover after announcing the departure of Fin Bean.
The 24-year-old has taken what he described as the difficult decision to leave the club in pursuit of regular first-team cricket.
Yorkshire said Bean had chosen “to pursue playing opportunities at another county”, four years after making his first-team debut.
One potential destination is Northamptonshire, who are among several counties considering their top-order options.
That Yorkshire were keen to keep Bean – and that the player ideally wanted to stay – was evident in the statement confirming his exit.
Gavin Hamilton, Yorkshire’s general manager of cricket, said: “We’d have been delighted to see him fulfil the remainder of his contract, but we understand and respect his ambition.”
Bean said: “Leaving my boyhood club wasn’t an easy decision to make.
“But but I feel it’s the right one for me at this stage of my career.”
Bean had lost his place as an opener in the County Championship side, with captain Jonny Bairstow established as the first-choice wicketkeeper.
However, Yorkshire now need cover for Bairstow, both in the event of injury and when his white-ball commitments take him away from the club.
Bean kept wicket in eight of Yorkshire’s nine One-Day Cup games last season while Bairstow was playing in The Hundred.
Harry Duke, the 25-year-old who kept wicket in the first of those games, recently joined Middlesex on a two-year deal. Noah Kelly, the 21-year-old batsman who also keeps wicket, has also been released, leaving 19-year-old rookie Owen Smith as the only other wicketkeeper on the books.
Hamilton confirmed the club is exploring its options, including the possibility of an overseas solution.
“We’re in the process of trying to find, probably, a short-term solution to get us through the next year or two, with a view to building long-term in the background with the keeping,” he told The Yorkshire Post.
“We’ve already said we’re looking for an overseas batter, so if we could potentially get one that keeps, that’s a win-win.
“There are plenty of them out there – high-class top-order batters that can also keep, but obviously we’re not planning on going into the summer with Jonny being our only wicketkeeping option.”
While Yorkshire ponder their next move, Bean leaves with some memories to cherish.
Last year, he made a career-best 224 against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, and he also scored Yorkshire’s fastest one-day hundred – a 53-ball effort against Durham at Scarborough.
The left-hander first came to prominence with a second XI record score of 441 against Nottinghamshire in 2022, beating a record held by Marcus Trescothick. That earned him a second chance at Yorkshire after he briefly left the game to work as a mechanic.
“Representing Yorkshire has given me so many opportunities to develop, both as a person and as a cricketer,” said Bean in a statement. “I have some great memories and will look back fondly on my time at the club.
"I’d like to thank my team-mates for the cracking memories, both on and off the field.
"To have represented my home county alongside guys I have grown up with, as well as players I’ve watched on TV, is something I am proud of and feel very fortunate to have experienced.
“I would also like to thank the supporters for all the love and support over the past five years. It is something I will always be grateful for.
"Leaving my boyhood club wasn’t an easy decision to make, but I feel it’s the right one for me at this stage of my career.”
Bean departs with 2,649 runs in 48 first-class games at an average of 33.53. He also scored 517 runs in 30 one-day appearances at 21.54.
He played in the opening five Championship games last season but was subsequently replaced as Adam Lyth’s opening partner by Will Luxton.
Along the way, Bean did manage his seventh first-class hundred – 105 against Sussex at Headingley.
Hamilton added: “We’ve had some really honest conversations with Fin over the last year or so and during that time he has consistently pushed for regular cricket, as he should.
“Fin has been a brilliant player for Yorkshire and has been a great person to have in the changing room, too. We’d have been delighted to see him fulfil the remainder of his contract, but we understand and respect his ambition.
“It’s never easy to see players leave, particularly those who are products of our Academy, but we’re proud of the part Yorkshire has played in his development and wish him every success for the future.
“Everyone at Yorkshire would like to wish Fin well as he embarks on the next chapter of his career.”