Delight at contract extension
Somerset County Cricket Club have announced that Roelof van der Merwe has signed a contract extension.
The popular all-rounder has agreed a one-year extension which will see him remain at Somerset until at least the end of the 2023 season. His current deal was due to expire at the end of the 2022 campaign.
Van der Merwe first came to the county in 2011 after signing a shortterm contract. He returned in 2016 and since then has established himself as an important member of the First XI squad across all three formats of the game.
In his time with the club, the Netherlands International’s performances have seen him awarded with his county cap, and he was a key part of Somerset’s Royal London Cup triumph in 2019.
He also broke the record for the highest score by a Somerset player in a 50-over match when he made a match-winning 165 not out against Surrey at the Cooper Associates County Ground in 2017.
After signing the extension, van der Merwe said: “I’m really pleased to have extended my time at Somerset. We have a great group of guys here and I genuinely feel that we are on the verge of something exceptional.
“The club holds a very special place in my heart, and I will be doing everything that I can to make sure that we win games of cricket and claim the silverware that the players and our brilliant members deserve.”
SCCC director of cricket, Andy Hurry is pleased to have secured van der Merwe for an additional year.
“Roelof is a quality performer across the three formats of the game,” he said. “His drive, determination and will to succeed are second to none and he is a genuine team man.
“He is exceptional both on the field and in the dressing room, and all his domestic and international experience make him an outstanding role model for our aspirational players to learn from.
“His passion for the game is infectious and his contributions with the bat, the ball and in the field are of the highest standard.
“I can confirm that we are once again able to register Roelof as a local player.”
The news means that van der Merwe joins the likes of both Tom Abell and Josh Davey who have also signed contract extensions with Somerset.