Lancashire release Dominic Cork

Lancashire have announced that 37-year-old Dominic Cork will not be offered a contract for 2009, a move which may well signal the end of his first-class career.

The club said that the decision not to extend Cork's contract "was made with the longer term development of the playing staff in mind and to allow the side to evolve, providing younger players the opportunity to grow into the team."

"It hurts, decisions like this," Cork told Sky Sports News. "But, typical Dominic Cork, I'll come back and I will haunt Lancashire and come back hopefully and prove the manager and the committee wrong."

"I'm open to any offers. I just want to play as Dominic Cork always plays, with his heart on his sleeve [for] any club I can help. I'm a keen lover of the game still, at 37. I'm still very fit, I still work very hard, and still have a lot to offer in the game."

Cork, who played 37 Tests and 32 ODIs for England, moved to Lancashire from Derbyshire in 2004 and in five seasons to date he has taken 169 wickets and scored 1803 runs in 61 appearances.

Another player who will not be reappearing for Lancashire in 2009 is legspinner Simon Marshall, 26. In four seasons at Old Trafford the former Cambridge University player made nine appearances taking 15 wickets at 45.60.