Recruitment and Selection Policy 2010

Date: Monday 11 January 2010

Leicestershire County Cricket Club Selection and Recruitment Policy Season 2010.

(This article will be archived under the 'Club' section of the website for future reference)

Over the past few months I have been very grateful for the many letters of support I have received towards the Club’s policy of giving our younger players the opportunity to play First Team cricket at Leicestershire. The key is obviously to have the right balance between the young and experienced cricketers and of course, to have ‘‘members and supporters that are patient’’ as our young players progress in the game. I am comfortable that we are now starting to achieve that balance.

Finishing bottom of Division Two last season was a bitter pill to swallow for everyone connected with the club. However a core group of home-grown players, with a sense of who and what they represent, alongside good senior role model cricketers, with a quality overseas player or two, it is still the best way to bring success to any cricket club.

Our recruitment this winter has seen us add five new faces to our squad for the 2010 cricket season;

• I was delighted that Matthew Hoggard chose Leicestershire over a number of other interested counties. Matthew brings with him a wealth of experience having played for England on 67 occasions taking 248 Test match wickets. He will take over the club captaincy and will be an ideal role model for all our young cricketers at the club”.

• Australian Test Match cricketer Brad Hodge is returning for the sixteen-match Twenty20 competition as our second overseas player. He played in the Twenty20 cup winning team of 2004, He knows the club well, having spent the seasons 2003 and 2004 with us and he will bring a wealth of experience to next summers Twenty/20 campaign.

• Australian Test match all rounder Andrew McDonald, is our overseas player for 2010. He is a fine all round cricketer who was outstanding in the inaugural Twenty20 Champions League competition. Andrew made a significant contribution throughout the Victoria campaign and this experience can only benefit everyone at Leicestershire CCC.

• The club has also signed Will Jefferson from Nottinghamshire we had been looking for a senior opening batsman and when Will became available in August he was our number one target. I think he will be ideally suited to batting at Grace Road and joins the club with his best cricket years ahead of him

• James Benning. Joined us after a two month loan period during August and September of 2009. He is a magnificent striker of a cricket ball and a useful support bowler that will give us much needed balance in the team. Again I believe his best cricketing years lie ahead of him.

The recruitment is now over until September 2010. It was always our intention to bring new players into the club, but we also had to wait for players to finish their contracts and move on before being able to add to the squad.

We have a number of very good young English qualified players at the Club, many of whom have been through the Leicestershire and Rutland development system. James Taylor had a marvellous season in 2009 and started playing for Leicestershire in our under 11 age group in 2002. He has signed a new three-year contract keeping him at the club until September 2012.

England under 19 internationals Josh Cobb, Nathan Buck and Greg Smith have also all signed new three-year contracts. They all started and graduated through the Leicestershire age group system.

The club has provided England age group squads with eight players in the last 18 months, and James Taylor’s selection for the England Lions tour in February 2010 was further evidence of the development structure within the club being recognised externally.

We are still totally committed to producing players through our development system, but it is important we have the right balance between senior and younger players.

In 2010 we aim to play nine English qualified players and two non-qualified players in all competitions, except in the Twenty20 competition where we will have a second overseas player and where we will play eight English qualified players.

We will use a core group of senior role model cricketers to include Matthew Hoggard, Andrew McDonald, Claude Henderson and Brad Hodge to help support our young player’s development.

I believe that after a difficult few seasons the Club has genuine reasons for optimism.

David Smith

Chief Executive Officer.

January 2010.