An Australian-born quick bowler, Mitchell Claydon took advantage of his British passport to sign for Yorkshire in 2005. He made just two first-class appearances in two seasons for the white rose county and was released at the end of 2006, after a stress fracture of the back had kept him out of action for much of the season. Durham took a gamble on him in 2007 and although he initially made little impact he remained on their books. By 2009 he had progressed far enough to become a first XI regular, and contributed 22 wickets to Durham's Championship-winning campaign, while also playing plenty of limited-overs cricket. He added 35 first-class scalps the following season, and started 2011 by sharing the new ball with Callum Thorp against Sussex in Steve Harmison's absence. He returns to play grade-cricket in Sydney in the off-season and, not unusually for an Australian, is also a keen surfer.
Alan Curr May 2011