SEAN Terry may play for Ireland after leaving Hampshire by mutual agreement.

The opening batsman had a year left on his contract at The Ageas Bowl but has returned to Australia to “pursue other options”.

His dad, former Hampshire star Paul Terry, explained: “Sean’s keen to pursue other options and hopefully something will come up, either with another county or maybe even with Ireland.

“There are options for him there as his mother [Bernadette] is Irish. She’s from Dublin and we have family over there so he may go down that route.

“It’s a tempting one.”

Terry jnr made 440 runs at 29.3 in 11 first-class matches for Hampshire from 2012-15.

That aggregate includes five half-centuries, two of which he made last season - a brave 62 not out in a six-wicket win against Sussex at Hove and a top score of 52 in a defeat to Middlesex at Lord’s a month later.

In his fifth appearance of last season, against Worcestershire at New Road in July, he made 37 as Hampshire followed on before losing by an innings.

It turned out to be his last first-class match for the county.

He played no part in Hampshire’s Great Escape after being replaced by Liam Dawson.

Sean returned to Australia, not the family home in Perth, where he used to play for Melville CC, but Melbourne, where he has been playing grade cricket for Monash CC.

Although he was brought up in Australia from an early age, 24 year-old Terry was one of the few Hampshire-born players in the county’s squad and the only one born in Southampton since Chris Tremlett.

His departure, and that of Joe Gatting, means the prolific former England U19 batsmen Joe Weatherley and Tom Alsop are even closer to the first team.

“The times Sean’s played for Hampshire he’s done reasonably well but for one reason or another it hasn’t quite worked out,” said Paul, who was Hampshire’s manager from 2002-08 before being succeeded by current director of cricket Giles White.

“It’s disappointing it hasn’t worked out but Hampshire will be putting out a statement soon.

“Hopefully Sean can move on, I certainly think he’s good enough.”

Sean also made 161 runs at 32.2, including two half-centuries, in eight one-day games for Hampshire.

He was out for one in his final appearance for the county - his T20 debut against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham last July.

Sean was linked with Leicestershire, against whom he scored a Championship fifty in 2013, before they signed Neil Dexter, Paul Horton and Mark Pettini - from Middlesex, Lancashire and Essex - last September.