Jack Leaning has left Kent after six years with the county.

Leaning, 32, joins Sussex on a three-year deal following a mutual agreement to release him from his Kent contract one year early, having previously penned a three-year deal as their vice-captain in January 2024.

The right-handed batting all-rounder moved to Canterbury from Yorkshire ahead of the 2020 season and scored 5,842 runs in 176 all-format appearances for Kent.

He was awarded Kent men’s cap No.221 in 2021.

“Playing for Kent and, in particular, becoming a capped player has been a real honour for me,” said the fans’ favourite, whose talent on the pitch was often replicated by a classiness off it.

“I’ve enjoyed my time in Canterbury, making many friends inside and outside of the dressing room.

“I’d like to thank [director of cricket] Simon Cook for assisting in this move and I wish the players, staff and members the best of luck for next season and beyond.

“I’m looking forward to the next chapter of my cricketing journey.”

The Yorkshireman was a regular for Kent Spitfires’ white-ball sides in his time with the county, helping them to T20 Blast glory in 2021 and played in Kent’s 2025 Blast quarter-final three-wicket defeat to Lancashire Lightning in early September at Emirates Old Trafford.

Personal highlights of his Kent career include scoring 220 not out in a record-breaking partnership of 423 runs with Jordan Cox in a Bob Willis Trophy win at Canterbury - ironically against Sussex - and taking over red-ball captaincy duties from Sam Billings in 2023, as well as winning various Kent end-of-season fielder-of-the-year awards.

But he found himself out of favour under head coach Adam Hollioake in the red-ball format in 2025 and didn’t play in any of their County Championship Division 2 games in the last three months of the summer.

Nevertheless, Leaning - whose dad, Andy, is a former professional goalkeeper - continued to keep himself match fit in 2025 as he played in the Kent League Premier Division for St Lawrence & Highland Court.

Speaking on his time at Kent upon the conclusion of their 2023 campaign, he said: “I love it here.

“If anything, if I had known it would be this good, I would have come years ago! It’s been outstanding.

“It’s really brought the best out of me as a person and as a player. That’s credit to the dressing room, the staff and the club.

“They have allowed me to be the person I wanted to be, a person I felt was drifting a little bit when I left Yorkshire.”

But the spinner will now head to Hove where he will play under Ash-born head coach Paul Farbrace and alongside Margate-born fast bowler Ollie Robinson, returning to playing County Championship Division 1 cricket.

On the exit of Leaning, who regularly skippered Spitfires in the 50-over format, director of cricket Simon Cook admitted: “Jack has been an outstanding servant to Kent and this was an extremely tough decision for all involved.

“Both parties agreed that a move to pursue regular first-team cricket across all formats was in everyone’s best interests.

“Jack has made a significant contribution to the club’s recent history and will always be welcome at Kent.

“His departure also opens further opportunities for our younger players to continue their development and push for first-team selection.

“As we look ahead, our focus remains on developing and showcasing Kent-produced talent, ensuring a strong and competitive future for the club.”