Leicestershire continue busy winter with new deal for Harry Swindells

The 21-year-old was an ever-present member of Paul Nixon’s side in the Bob Willis Trophy last year and follows fellow homegrown wicketkeepers Sam Bates and Lewis Hill in extending his stay at Grace Road

Harry Swindells has become the third homegrown wicketkeeper to sign a new contract with Leicestershire in a matter of months.

The 21-year-old was an ever-present member of Paul Nixon’s side in the Bob Willis Trophy last year and follows glovemen Sam Bates and Lewis Hill in extending his stay at Grace Road.

Swindells made his first-class debut for the county in 2019, having emerged in white-ball cricket a year earlier.

He finished last season as Leicestershire’s fourth-highest run scorer in the shortened red-ball tournament, posting a total of 188 in five matches at an average of 37.60.

He is the latest in a long line of players to extend their deals under Nixon and chief executive Sean Jarvis. Gavin Griffiths, Bates, Sam Evans, Will Davis, Alex Evans, Chris Wright, Ben Mike, Hassan Azad, Hill and Nat Bowley all signed new deals in the latter part of 2020.

^{Swindells represented England Under-19s}

Left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson agreed a new contract in February, while also becoming Leicestershire’s new vice-captain to Colin Ackermann.

In a busy winter, Rishi Patel, Scott Steel and Ed Barnes have all joined the county from Essex, Durham and Yorkshire, while South African allrounder Wiaan Mulder and Afghan seamer Naveen-ul-Haq have signed up as overseas players.

“It feels like that group of players has come in, along with the lads who came through the academy, are hopefully going to take the club to the next level,” seamer Griffiths told The Cricketer last month.