Kent County Cricket Club have confirmed several further signings for the 2012 season.

Adam Riley and Chris Piesley have both extended their contracts with the Club, while Kent Cricket Academy Scholars, Ivan Thomas and Benedict Kemp have recently signed contracts. Fabian Cowdrey, son of Chris Cowdrey and grandson of Colin Cowdrey has also signed for Kent, and the Club has also announced that first team member, James Goodman has decided to pursue a career outside the game.

19 year old Adam Riley made his first class debut for Kent in May 2011, in the LV = County Championship match against Northamptonshire at the St Lawrence Ground. Riley has taken 14 wickets in six first class matches for Kent. Riley commented on his contract; “I’m delighted to have extended my contract with Kent. I look forward to the challenges of the seasons ahead and I hope to be involved in the long term future of the Club.”

Chris Piesley, also 19, has risen through the ranks of the Kent Cricket Academy, making his first class debut for Kent in June 2010 against Pakistan at the St Lawrence Ground. Piesley has made three first class appearances for Kent and commented on his contract; “I’m just really happy. The discussions went really smoothly for me and I’m just really happy to be staying at Kent.”

18 year old Fabian Cowdrey joins Kent, having already stated his wish to follow the family tradition and be selected for England. He was on the Kent Cricket Junior Academy from 2008 to 2010 and has played regularly for the 2nd XI.

Ivan Thomas joins the Kent Cricket squad, having been in the Academy cohort for 2010/11. A right arm seam bowler and a right hand batter, Ivan attended the John Roan School in Blackheath and plays for Blackheath Cricket Club.

Benedict Kemp has been on the Kent Cricket Academy since 2009 and was the winner of this year’s award for Best Academy Scholar. Benedict is a right arm seam bowler who has represented the Kent Cricket 2nd XI this summer in all formats of the game, with the highlight of his season being his 3 for 25 against Surrey at Cheam in the 2nd XI One Day Trophy.

Kent Cricket’s High Performance Director, Simon Willis commented; “It was very pleasing to see Academy products Ivan Thomas, Benedict Kemp and Fabian Cowdrey performing well in second eleven cricket this season. They have been rewarded for their efforts with contracts for the 2012 season and I look forward to seeing their continued development as they become exposed to the professional environment.”

Kent County Cricket Club has also announced the departure of all-rounder James Goodman. Goodman, who made his One Day debut for Kent in 2007, and his first class debut in 2010, is another Kent Cricket Academy Scholar, who has also represented England at under-19 level. Goodman has made the decision to pursue a career outside cricket.

Commenting on the latest signings, along with news of James Goodman’s departure, Chairman of Cricket, Graham Johnson said; “We are delighted to be able to confirm the latest signings. We are very fortunate to have a great number of talented young cricketers now coming through, and the time has now come for them to step up. Adam Riley has developed his bowling skills during the 2011 season, and Chris Piesley has shown a great deal of promise; we now look to them to deliver regularly in first team cricket. We also welcome Ivan Thomas and Benedict Kemp who have made an impact in the 2nd XI team during the 2011 season, along with Fabian Cowdrey. We are sorry to see James Goodman leave the Club given his obvious potential, but we wish him well for the future.”

Pic supplied by Sarah Ansell. To see more of Sarah’s pictures visit www.sarahcanterbury.com