Luke Sutton joins Lancashire

Luke Sutton, the 29-year-old wicketkeeper and former captain of Derbyshire, has signed for Lancashire. He replaces Warren Hegg, Lancashire's wicketkeeper for 19 years who retired at the end of the season.

"We always knew that Warren Hegg would be difficult to replace but we are delighted that Luke Sutton has decided to join us," Mike Watkinson, Lancashire's coach, said. "He is a high-quality wicketkeeper who is very able with a bat and he will add an extra dimension to our team, being capable of batting in the first six in the batting order. I'm sure that he will be a strong and reliable member of our squad."

Sutton spent five seasons with Derbyshire, captaining them in 2004 and 2005. He has a first-class career average of 30.58 with the bat, with 181 catches and seven stumpings. Sutton was keen to make a fresh start for the 2006 season, and is excited about joining a new club:

"I was really pleased when I got the call from Mike Watkinson," he said. "I'm looking forward to joining up with the squad and becoming part of the team. The backroom set-up at Lancashire is very professional and I'm excited to become part of it. I want to help the county win more trophies and move forward with a club which is going places."