Claydon signs on for more at Kent

KENT paceman Mitch Claydon jumped at the chance to sign a new contract at Canterbury.

Claydon, 33, who joined Kent from Durham in 2013, is Kent’s leading wicket-taker in the County Championship having claimed 36 wickets in 15 matches.

Kent sit second in the Division Two table having beaten Worcestershire last week, where Claydon impressed with bat and ball.

Claydon said:“I’m delighted to sign a new contract with Kent. I love it here and I’ve relished the opportunity to play in all three forms of the game this season which was my target for this year.

“There’s a great group of lads here. I really feel we’re building a winning side and as a senior player, I’m aiming to contribute towards that as well as helping a few younger players come through.”

Kent chairman of cricket Graham Johnson has been impressed with the way that Claydon has developed his red-ball game since signing.

He said:“Mitch arrived at Kent with a reputation as a white ball specialist. He has developed into someone Kent has relied upon in both forms of cricket, with performances to match.

“He plays with passion, is a leader both on and off the field and is a larger-than-life character and plays with his heart on his sleeve.

“We’re happy to see him commit his future to help us develop the performances we want from our seam bowling attack.” GLOUCESTERSHIRE chief executive Will Brown hopes that captain Michael Klinger will still be able to play in the County Championship.

Klinger has signed a threeyear contract extension and his focus will be on one-day and T20 matches.

But Brown is not ruling out the prospect of him playing in the County Championship.

He said:“The key thing is, he’s staying.

“While white-ball cricket – T20 and 50-over cricket – is what he’s coming back to play, the reality is, options are always open for the other formats, too.

“It’s a bit of a change to what we had planned for 2017 but, with the way the formats look like they’ll be played in 2017, it works really well for both of us.

“Conversations with Michael are always very easy. He’s very committed to this club. He can still play for us in the County Championship as well, if the timing works.”