Coles joins Hampshire on loan

Matt Coles, the England Lions allrounder, has joined Hampshire on loan until the end of the season from Kent, where he has refused to sign a new contract.

Coles, a right-handed seam-bowler and left handed batsman, will be available for Hampshire's County Championship match against Lancashire on Wednesday and will hope to impress and attract a contract. He becomes a free agent in October.

23-year-old Coles has taken 133 first-class wickets at 30.67 and also has a first-class century to his name, made against Yorkshire at Headingly at the start of the 2012 season.

The campaign proved fruitful for Coles, with 52 wickets at 22.03 in the County Championship earning him a call-up for England Lions' tour of Australia in February 2013.

But Coles' form reflected the struggles of the whole squad. He took only two wickets in three matches as the Lions went winless in their seven completed matches. Worse for Coles, he was sent home before the end of the tour for a breach of discipline, along with Durham allrounder Ben Stokes.

Both players have begun rebuilding their reputations but Coles felt he needed a move away from Canterbury, saying at the time: "I feel now is the right time for me to move on in pursuit of my medium and long term career ambitions."

On his move to the Ageas Bowl, Coles said: "I'm delighted to be joining Hampshire for the remainder of the 2013 season. I have played against and alongside many of the guys in the team and look forward to a very productive time at The Ageas Bowl."

Hampshire have work to do if they are to challenge for promotion in Division Two of the County Championship. They currently sit 51 points behind second-placed Northamptonshire with five games to play but they do have a game in hand and will play Northants in the third-last round of matches.