New three-year contract for Durston

By Andy Wilson

Wes Durston, the only 30-plus cricketer in a youthful Derbyshire squad, is set to bring his experience to the County Ground dressing room for the next three years after becoming the latest to sign a new contract.

The right-handed batsman, who will be 32 on Saturday (October 6), has become a key player for the county since being given the chance to revitalise his career in 2010 following his release by Somerset.

A consistent top-order batsman in all forms of the game, Durston has also proved a more than useful off-spinner and is an outstanding close catcher. Off the field, he has also taken on the role as mentor to the younger Derbyshire batsmen.

His leadership qualities have been a big help to captain Wayne Madsen and the coaching staff and will be even more important to the county as they get ready for what will be only their second season in Division One of the LV County Championship after winning promotion last month.

“We have a young and extremely talented group of players and I hope my experience can help the younger guys – and the squad as a whole - to achieve more in the years ahead,” said Durston.

“I am over the moon to be committing the next three years of my career to Derbyshire. This is as tight-knit a squad as I’ve known throughout my career and I’m delighted to be remaining a part of it for the foreseeable future.”

Durston did not miss a match in any of the three competitions last season, scoring 878 first-class runs at 36.58, including two hundreds, and finishing as their leading run-scorer in both the Clydesdale Bank 40 and Friends Life t20.

As a spinner, Durston often takes the new ball in limited-overs cricket and regularly chips in with valuable wickets, taking 22 in the Championship last season, including a career-best 5 for 34 against Yorkshire at Headingley.

“Wes has been one of our most consistent performers across the different formats since he came to the club and securing his services for the next three years is a huge boost moving forward,” added head coach Karl Krikken.

“He has the right level of experience to be able to perform in Division One next year, as well as passing on his knowledge to the younger players within the squad.”



Date: 03/10/2012 11:41:11 by Andy Wilson
In: Today | Derbyshire |