Stephen Peters was a young player tipped for great things. He marked his first-class debut for Essex with 110 against Cambridge University in 1996, aged just 17 years and 194 days to become the county's youngest first-class centurion. He went on to play with distinction for England Under-19, and made a century to win the man-of-the-match award in the final of the U19 World Cup in South Africa in 1997-98. However, like many prolific young players, he found the step up to county cricket a difficult one. He left Essex for Worcestershire in 2002, hopeful that a change of scenery would reinvigorate his career, and while he scored runs in patches he was soon on the move again, joining Northants at the start of the 2006 season. 2006 proved a more productive year for Peters as he scored nearly 900 runs at 50 in the Championship.
Sam Collins September 2006