Craig Cachopa signs for Sussex

Craig Cachopa, the Auckland batsman, has signed a two-year contract with Sussex. The South Africa-born batsman had been on trial with the county's second XI for the past two months and recently made his debut for the senior side, scoring 11 and 24 in two T20 games.

Cachopa, 22, had captained New Zealand in the 2010 Under-19 World Cup. He qualifies as a non-overseas signing because he holds a Portugese passport.

"I'm really happy to have signed here at such a historic club and this is a fantastic opportunity for me," Cachopa said. "I played with Chris Nash and Luke Wright in New Zealand and when I came over to the UK to play club cricket, they suggested I join up with the second XI. That gave me the chance to get to know the club and I'm absolutely thrilled to be offered a contract."

Cachopa scored a century and two fifties for the second XI this season in the limited-overs formats.

"We're delighted to have Craig on board and we are excited to see how he progresses over the next two years," Sussex's Professional Cricket Manager Mark Robinson said. "We can't wait to see if he is able to transfer his form that he has shown for Auckland and our second team into first-team runs for us."