Johnson leaves Warwickshire for Derbyshire

By Paul Bolton, County News Correspondent

Wicketkeeper Richard Johnson has left County Champions Warwickshire and joined Derbyshire on a three-year contract. Johnson picked up a winner’s medal in both the first and second division of this season’s LV= County Championship having played two matches on loan with Derbyshire.

The 24-year-old from Solihull has now decided to make his move to Derbyshire a permanent one in the hope of playing more regular first team cricket, having been understudy to Tim Ambrose at Edgbaston.

“I’m very proud to have progressed through the Warwickshire ranks from a junior to a member of the full squad and I’m leaving the club with many happy memories. I would like to thank my team mates, coaching staff and everyone at Warwickshire for their support over the years and I wish the club the very best for the future,” Johnson said.

“While I’ve had to make a difficult decision in moving on, the opportunity to play more first team cricket in Division One for Derbyshire was one that I couldn’t turn down. The club has great ambitions to build on their promotion, so I’m really looking forward to the challenge ahead.”

Since joining the professional ranks in 2008, 24 year-old Johnson – who played junior cricket for the Bears since the Under-11s age group and attended Solihull School – has played 11 first-class games, including Warwickshire's title-clinching encounter with Worcestershire at New Road, 13 one-day matches and 18 in the Friends Life t20 for Warwickshire.

Ashley Giles, Warwickshire’s director of cricket, said: “It’s sad that we’re losing such a talented home-grown player as Richard, who is very popular with everyone here at Warwickshire.

“However, we cannot stand in the way of someone’s ambitions to play more first team cricket, so he leaves with the best wishes of all players and management at Warwickshire and I’m sure that he’ll also enjoy a successful career at Derbyshire.”

 

Date: 26/09/2012 07:00:00 by Paul Bolton
In: Warwickshire | Today | Derbyshire |