Eddie Byrom leaves Somerset for Glamorgan

Eddie Byrom, the Zimbabwe-born top-order batter, has left Somerset after signing a two-year deal with Glamorgan and will spend the rest of the season there on loan.

Byrom, who turned 24 in June, has struggled for runs in all formats this season, with a top score of 38 in 14 first-team innings. He made a brilliant 114 in last summer's Bob Willis Trophy final against Essex at Lord's but has found County Championship opportunities limited this season, with Somerset instead giving opportunities to other young batters in Tom Lammonby, Tom Banton and George Bartlett.

Byrom signed a two-year contract extension with Somerset in 2019 amid previous interest from Glamorgan but Andy Hurry, their director of cricket, confirmed that they had not offered him a new deal.

"Regrettably, Eddie hasn't been able to nail down regular first XI cricket this summer, and with the emergence of some really promising and high-potential batsman making their way through the system and demonstrating their talent when opportunities have presented themselves, we have had to make the difficult decision not to extend Eddie's contract," Hurry said.

Byrom's move to Glamorgan will see him reunited with Matthew Maynard, who was Somerset's coach when he was initially breaking into the first team in 2017.

"It's really exciting to join Glamorgan and start a new chapter in my career," he said. "This move will give me the chance to experience a new environment and link up again with Matt Maynard, who I get on really well with."

Mark Wallace, their director of cricket, said: "[Eddie] is a very talented young batsman who is capable of playing across all three formats and will provide competition for places at the top of the order."

Most of Byrom's first-team experience has been in red-ball cricket as an opener but he has also shown some promise in limited-overs games. He earned a contract with Manchester Originals in the 2019 Hundred draft on the back of his T20 Blast form but was released after the inaugural season was postponed by 12 months.