Foxes quartet extend contracts

Leicestershire County Cricket Club is delighted to announce that Clint McKay, Angus Robson, James Sykes and Rob Sayer have signed contract extensions at Grace Road.

McKay has been outstanding on the field for Leicestershire CCC and a positive influence in the dressing room and will be the club’s overseas player for the next two years.

The seamer has taken 41 wickets at 27.90 in the LV=County Championship in forming an impressive seam triumvirate with Charlie Shreck and Ben Raine. McKay has also scored a handy 340 runs in first-class cricket for the club at an average of 22.16.

McKay’s class has also shone through in NatWest T20 Blast cricket and the seamer has claimed 11 wickets at a terrific economy rate of 7.29, the best of any the Foxes bowlers who have bowled more than ten overs.

McKay said: “I’ve loved every minute of being at Leicestershire County Cricket Club and we are moving in the right direction. It’s not long before we turn the corner and start being very successful in all forms of cricket.

“The players and coaching staff have been fantastic to me and I’ve enjoyed playing and passing on my experience to the younger bowlers like Ben Raine and Ollie Freckingham. I’m really looking forward to the future.”

Opening batsman Robson, who has scored 1,957 first-class career runs at a healthy average of 34.94 with a highest score of 120, has also agreed a two-year extension to his contract at Grace Road. Robson is the club's leading scorer in first-class cricket, as he was in 2014.

The young batsman has also scored 159 runs in List A cricket, including an impressive knock of 67 against a strong touring New Zealand side in June.

Young finger spinners Sykes and Sayer, who both hail from Huntingdon, have agreed extensions that take them through to the end of the 2017 and 2018 seasons respectively.

Sayer made a mightily impressive NatWest T20 debut when he took 2-16 at Durham Jets and that followed on from an encouraging performance against the touring New Zealanders.

Slow left armer Sykes has picked up 20 first-class wickets for Leicestershire including a best of 4-176 at Essex in the 2014 season. Sykes has also claimed 15 List A wickets and three T20 victims for the club

Leicestershire and Rutland Cricket Chief Executive Wasim Khan MBE said: “We are looking to build for the future here and our overseas player Clint McKay has a massive role both on and off the field at Grace Road. He is a tremendous cricketer and also a terrific person and role model who our younger players all look up to.

“Angus scored more than 1,000 first-class runs in 2014 and is on course to do that again this season. James and Rob have done well when given the opportunity in the first team and are two young spinners with a bright future in the game. It’s great that these four players have extended their contracts at Grace Road.”