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All-rounder Ben Stokes has signed a new two-year contract with Durham shortly after being named in England's Under-19 World Cup squad.
The left-hand batsman and medium-pace bowler will travel to New Zealand, the country of his birth, in January with his national team and the 18-year-old joined the Durham Academy in 2007 and after impressive performances with the second team, made his senior debut in the Friends Provident Trophy last season, also playing in the NatWest Pro40 competition.
“It’s been an exciting few weeks for me and I’m really happy to have signed my first professional contract," Stokes said.
"It’s great to be involved with such a successful club and it’s been a real benefit to have a varied group of players around me who I can go to for advice. I can’t wait for the 2010 season to start!”
Durham CCC Head Coach, Geoff Cook, added: “We set Ben a number of challenging targets for the 2009 season and he worked incredibly hard to meet them.
"The transition from Academy to second XI and on to the first team can be a tough one but I have been impressed by the way he has performed. He’s a great young talent and I’m pleased that he’s going to be part of the squad for the foreseeable future.”
© Cricket World 2009
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