Davey and Hildreth extend their stays with Somerset

JOSH Davey has signed a one-year contract extension at Somerset.

The 30-year-old Scotland seamer, who has taken over 140 wickets for Somerset, will now remain at Taunton until at least the end of the 2023 campaign.

Davey told Somerset’s official website: “To go from signing a summer contract to winning a trophy at Lord’s has been an incredible journey and I’m delighted that it is going to continue.

“My time with Somerset has been incredibly special and it’s a great place to be at the moment.

“There is a real sense that this team could go on to big things and I can’t wait to be a part of that.

“The club is second to none in terms of the support we get and hopefully we can repay them for their support by bringing home some more silverware in the next few years.”

Somerset director of cricket Andy Hurry added: “Josh has been one of our most consistent performers, playing a key part in our successes in recent years.

“His progress and development over the last few seasons has been impressive, and we are looking forward to that continuing for at least the next few years.”

The mews came a day after James Hildreth said there was never any question of him turning down the offer of a new contract at Somerset after he also agreed a deal at the club until the end of the 2022 season.

The 36-year-old batsman, whose current contract was due to expire at the end of the 2021 campaign, will mark 20 years with Somerset should he remain at the club for the duration of the deal.

Hildreth joined the club in 2002, made his debut in 2003, and has since played 665 matches across the three formats, scoring nearly 26,000 runs. He is the club’s all-time leading run-scorer in T20 cricket with 3,694 runs.

The former Millfield pupil’s longevity is evident by virtue of the fact he was a key player in Somerset’s previous two trophy successes – scoring the winning runs when the club lifted the Twenty20 Cup in 2005 and the One-Day Cup in 2019.

Hildreth said: “I absolutely love the club and I just want to go on here for as long as possible.

“It’s an amazing job to have and I’m very fortunate to have played for the length of time that I have.

“When the extension was offered there was never a question about what I was going to do.

“We’ve been playing good cricket consistently for a long time. We’ve won a trophy and we want to win more. I’ve got every confidence we can. We want to make 2021 the most brilliant year.”