Sussex have released wicketkeeper Andy Patterson and handed Nick Wilton the chance to stake a claim for a permanent place in the side.

Patterson was told he had no future at the county by coach Peter Moores following Saturday's drawn Championship match against Essex at Arundel.

Wilton, 21, took over the gloves for yesterday's National League match against Yorkshire and will now be given an extended run until the end of the season.

Patterson took over from Shaun Humphries, the third wicketkeeper on the staff, in May after scoring a century in a second XI game. It was hoped he would bring much needed runs to the lower order.

But in seven first-class games over a two-month period he scored just 37 runs and his wicketkeeping was often untidy despite intensive coaching from Moores.

Skipper Chris Adams said: "Andy has had every opportunity. His workrate in the last two months has been immense and he was terrific in the dressing room, but in the end we just felt he wasn't going to make it."

Wilton's promotion places a question mark over Humphries' long-term future at the club. Last month he held showdown talks with Adams, Moores and chief executive Dave Gilbert after losing his place to Patterson and threatened to quit the county.