Speaking after their league win over Brighton and Hove which saw Thornely hit his third century of the season, Kasey described the opening batsman as the 'backbone' of his side.

"Michael just keeps on scoring runs," enthused the skipper, playing his first game back after breaking his wrist earlier in the season.
"I can't praise him enough – he played brilliantly again."

Mark Nash took four wickets while England under-19 international Will Beer picked up two to restrict their visitors to 211/8, before Thornely carried his bat to reach 103 not out, and partnered by Sam Attfield (86) saw them to an eight wicket win.

21-year-old Thornely made his full Sussex debut last week against Lancashire, and having been one of the few shinning lights in an otherwise disappointing season for Horsham with nearly an 80-run average, Kasey is backing him to make a real impression for the county side.

"I hope he goes on to better things and I really hope Sussex give him a chance," he declared.

"He's been the backbone of our batting this year and without him we would have really struggled."