Woakes Extends Bears Contract

Woakes Extends Bears Contract

Birmingham-born Woakes will be playing at Edgbaston for at least the next three seasons.

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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.

Commenting on the extension, Woakes said, “Warwickshire is my home county and I’m thrilled to be able to extend my stay here at Edgbaston. As a team we made great strides last season and we’re all working incredibly hard in training. With the best facilities, coaching team and supporters we’re in great position to make a strong challenge for trophies in 2012.”

The 22 year-old has played cricket for Warwickshire’s age-group sides since the age of 11, and graduated from the club’s Academy before making his first-class debut in 2006. Overall he has taken 223 wickets for the Bears and enjoyed an excellent 2011 season during which he took 56 wickets at an average of 21.79.

His batting has also improved markedly over the past couple of seasons and he is fast becoming a genuine all-rounder with his average of 48.25 last season the best of his career to date.

All of this success has resulted in him becoming a fringe member of England limited-overs squads over the past 18 months, although the general consensus appears to be that his bowling needs to gain a yard of pace before he can truly be considered international standard. Despite this, he took six for 45 in his maiden ODI series in Australia last winter and followed it up with a couple of spirited performances with the bat in subsequent matches.

Warwickshire’s director of cricket, and England selector, Ashley Giles, said of Woakes, “Since graduating from the club’s Academy, Chris has gone on to lead the attack here at Edgbaston and establish himself as one of the country’s leading fast bowlers. Despite his success over the past few seasons, as a 22 year-old, we certainly expect his best days to be ahead of him and everyone here at Warwickshire is obviously very pleased that those years will be spent here at Edgbaston.”

Other County News In Brief:

Outgoing Warwickshire head groundsman Steve Rouse has received the ECB’s Achievements in Cricket Groundsmanship Award in recognition of his 17-year spell as head groundsman at Edgbaston.

Eastleigh Borough Council have bought the 999-year lease to The Rose Bowl for £6.5m, a development that Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove has hailed as “positive”. The county will rent the ground back from the council for around £400,000 a year, who are also providing around £30m to help fund the construction of a new hotel at the Northern End.

Derbyshire chief executive Keith Loring has said that “large sums of money” are available to head coach Karl Krikken for squad strengthening ahead of 2012.  Krikken is believed to be talking to several overseas players for the Friends Life t20, and also an unnamed player to replace Martin Guptill, who has signed as the club’s main overseas player for the first half of the season only.

Former Kent and England captain Mike Denness has become Kent’s president for 2012. He succeeds John Shepherd in the post.

© Cricket World 2011