Birch, 26, was plucked from Derby Premier League cricket ahead of the 2007 season and he has made a decent impression in his debut season as a professional. A century before lunch on his first-class debut against Cambridge University was followed by 95 in his maiden Championship innings for the club against Gloucestershire.

Despite missing the end of the campaign through injury �.. Birch showed enough glimpses of his explosive potential at the top of the order to merit a new deal. Paget became Derbyshire�..s youngest ever Championship debutant when he was selected to play against Yorkshire at the age of 16 years, 282 days in August 2004 and he has continued to progress since as well as making a handful of further first team appearances.

Whiteley, 19, is yet to make a first team appearance but he has impressed in second team outings and in Academy matches with his left-arm seam bowling and handy middle-order batting. For Poynton, 17, this two-year deal caps a memorable season which has seen him make eight first team appearances in all competitions, impressing with his tidy work behind the stumps enough to see him labelled as a real star of the future.

John Morris, Derbyshire�..s head of cricket, said: �..It is always nice when young players are given the opportunity to continue to develop their skills. We are delighted to be giving them that opportunity.�.�