Mark Butcher has extended his contract with Surrey by a year meaning he will be at the club until at least the end of the 2008 season.
Butcher was a key player in Surrey's promotion back to division one of the County Championship scoring 1418 runs at 59.08 as well as impressing with his captaincy.
Alan Butcher, the Surrey cricket manager, said: "Securing Mark's services until the end of 2008 is great news for the club. Having his leadership is a huge bonus as he is very well respected by all of the squad, not to mention his invaluable contributions with the bat."
Young seamers Neil Saker and Jade Dernback have also signed new deals which will take them through to the end of the 2008 season as have Richard Clinton, the opening batsman, and allrounder Stewart Walters.
Ravinder Bopara, the Essex allrounder, has signed a one-year contract extension at the county taking him up to the end of the 2008 season.
Bopara, 21, has just flown out to Perth with the England Academy squad.
He told the Essex CCC website: ..The only reason I haven..t signed a longer extension of two or three years is because I don..t know what..s going to happen down the line. I can see where my career is going to go over the next year/year-and-a-half so I..m happy to sign until 2008 and then look ahead from there.
..I..ve got no interest in going anywhere else but I just want to keep my options open. I feel good about playing for Essex because we are winning competitions and getting through to latter stages of competitions..
Bopara is extremely highly thought of on the circuit and scored 806 runs at 38.38 in the County Championship in 2006, with a top score of 157, as well as taking 19 wickets at 47.47.
He also played a major all-round part in Essex's success in both the Twenty20 competition and the NatWest Pro40 league.
It is a further boost for Essex after they tied England batsman Alastair Cook to a new contract in recent weeks.
Murtagh linked with Middlesex
Posted on 11/15/2006 in Surrey
CricInfo sources have revealed that Surrey seamer Tim Murtagh is in line for a move across the capital to Middlesex. The transfer should suit both parties as Murtagh, 25, has struggled to break into the Championship side, while Middlesex have been been noticebaly short on firepower in recent seasons.
Murtagh, whose brother Chris is also on the Surrey staff, was a regular member of Surrey's one-day and Twenty20 sides last season and has one year remaining on his contract at The Oval.
In 38 first-class appearances for Surrey he has 76 wickets at 37.07, while in Twenty20 cricket he has 37 wickets at an impressive 22.91. It was in this format that he enjoyed his finest hour as a Surrey player when taking 6 for 24, a record in the competition, against Middlesex in 2005.
If the deal goes through he will join Chaminda Vaas, Murali Kartik and Richard Johnson in a new look attack at Lord's.
Trio extend Kent contracts
Posted on 11/15/2006 in Kent
England wicketkeeper Geraint Jones is one of three Kent players who have agreed contract extensions with the club. He joins captain Robert Key and Martin van Jaarsveld in signing deals that will keep them at Canterbury until 2009.
Graham Johnson, the chairman of cricket, said: "Robert Key has made a major contribution to the club in his first year as captain whilst Martin has made a superb contribution with the bat. He is also an excellent example to all our young, aspiring cricketers.
He added that there are plans in place to cover for the loss of Jones if he returns to a full-time position in the England team. "We are obviously pleased to hear that Geraint is likely to be selected for the first Ashes Test and we all wish him well. There is a great deal of cricket to be played between now and the end of the next World Cup and I am sure we all hope that he will be successful in regaining his place in the England squad on a permanent basis.
"If, as we approach the 2007 domestic season, it becomes clear that Geraint may be away for prolonged periods we have in place contingency plans to ensure cover capable of delivering the right level of performance with both gloves and bat in our wicket keeping..
Kent have also announced that they are in discussion with Martin Saggers in regard to a contract for the 2007 season. Saggers missed large parts of the last two seasons through injury and is looking to prove his return to full fitness before finalising a contract.
November 14, 2006
Northants sign van der Wath
Posted on 11/14/2006 in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire have announced that Johannes van der Wath, the South Africa allrounder, has signed as the club's second overseas players for 2007. He is a versatile all-rounder, capable of lively pace bowling and powerful hitting in the middle order and is currently playing for the Eagles in South Africa.
van der Wath said: "I'm really looking forward to a full season in England. The time at Sussex last year whetted my appetite and I've heard really good things about Northamptonshire. Plans for the season sound exciting and I want to let the club fans know that I'll be doing my best to help make it a successful one."
The chief executive Mark Tagg added: ..In the increasingly competitive four-day and one-day game we are determined to play attractive and exciting cricket and Johannes signature will ensure that our supporters will be able to enjoy top quality entertainment throughout the season..
David Capel, the head coach, echoed those thoughts: ..He offers us experienced seam bowling and hard hitting lower middle order options in all forms of the game. He is a well respected cricketer in South Africa and one that has a reputation for giving 100% at all times as well as being a quality performer.
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