The Essex allrounder Ryan ten Doeschate has signed a new two-year contract to keep him at the club until the end of the 2008 season.

Ten Doeschate, 26, notched his maiden hundred in 2006 – an unbeaten 102 against Glamorgan – in what was a successful season for him with bat and ball.

“I’m very pleased to have signed a new contract with Essex,” he told the club’s website. “I’ve known for a while that I was going to get it but to finally sign it is a very happy day for me.

“I only played in the one-day side in 2005, which, at the time, I was really happy about. But my aim at the start of the season was to get into the four-day side and I did manage eight Championship appearances. I would have liked to have played a bit more but, without being greedy, this was still a good year to follow my breakthrough season.”