County Cricket Round-Up - 21st September

21 September 2011

County News Round-Up - 21st September

Luke Wells has signed a new contract with Sussex.

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The county transfer market has been moving apace over the past few days with Essex, Yorkshire and Glamorgan in particular making several new signings in a bid to put a disappointing, and in some cases disastrous, 2011 season behind them. We round up that and the rest of the county news below in our regular close season County Cricket Round-Up feature.

Essex have signed Greg Smith and have extended the contracts of David Masters, Reece Topley and Ben Foakes. More

Glamorgan have also been busy in the past week and have decided not to offer batsman Michael Powell a new contract, as well as extending the deals of Will Owen and Chris Cooke by two years. Their second team captain David Brown has also announced his retirement.

Warwickshire have released off-spinner Maurice Holmes.

Former Durham batsman and now first-class umpire Michael Gough has been named as the PCA's Umpire of the Year.

Yorkshire wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow has been named as the Cricket Writers Club's Young Cricketer of the Year.

Steven Crook has signed a new two-year contract with Middlesex. The club have released Dan Housego and Ben Scott, who has signed with Worcestershire.

Luke Wells has extended his contract with Sussex until the end of the 2014 season.

Yorkshire have secured the services of Gary Ballance and Azeem Rafiq on new two-year contracts and have offered Joe Root and Moin Ashraf similar deals. In addition, they have signed Alex Lees and James Wainman on Junior Pro contracts and Callum Geldart, Alex Lilley and Dan Hodgson on summer contracts. David Wainwright, Ben Sanderson and Lee Hodgson have all been released. More

Somerset captain Marcus Trescothick has been named as the FTI Most Valuable Player for 2011. More

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County Cricketers Abroad Part III

With many of England's county cricketers now heading home from their off-season destinations in time for Christmas, we take our monthly look at how they have been performing for their franchises or states so far in the 2011-12 season.

Pietersen To Stay With Surrey Indefinitely

England batsman Kevin Pietersen has extended his contract with Surrey until the end of his international career. Pietersen, who first signed for the club on a one-year deal in 2011 following a loan spell in 2010, will play for the Brown Caps until he no longer has an ECB Central Contract.

Woakes Extends Bears Contract

Warwickshire and England seam-bowler Chris Woakes has signed a new two-year deal with the county which will see him remain with the club until at least the end of the 2014 season.

Ben Harmison Signs Kent Deal

Kent have signed former Durham all-rounder Ben Harmsion on a contract of undisclosed length ahead of the 2012 season.

Tomlinson And Rossington Extend County Contracts

Middlesex wicket-keeper Adam Rossington and Hampshire seam bowler James Tomlinson have both signed contract extensions with their respective counties. Rossington, an 18 year-old who has represented England’s Under-19 side, has extended his existing contract by one year to the end of 2013, while Tomlinson has also signed until the end of the 2013 season.

Philander Signs For Somerset

Somerset have tentatively announced that they have secured the services of South African all-rounder Vernon Philander as their overseas player for the first two months of the 2012 season. Philander's availability is dependent on him not being selected to play in the Indian Premier League.