Beer signs three-year deal with Sussex

Sussex have signed a new three-year contract with Will Beer, the 21-year-old legspinner, which will keep him at Hove until the end of the 2012 season.

Beer played regular first-team cricket for Sussex last season in their successful Twenty20 and Pro40 campaigns, which culminated with a trip to the Champions League T20 in India.

Sussex have a rich recent tradition with spin, having won the Championship in 2003, 2006 and 2007 in large part due to the exploits of the former Pakistan legspinner Mushtaq Ahmed, who is now England's spin bowling coach. The club also signed Monty Panesar from Northamptonshire last month and is captained by left-arm-spinner Michael Yardy.

Beer is looking forward to working with the senior players as he tries to break into the first-class side. "I am very excited about the next three years at the club and continuing the club's recent success," he said.

"I want to build on my first year of first team cricket and am really looking forward to working with Monty Panesar - using his experience as a spinner to drive my game forward."

Mark Davis, the Sussex coach, said he's eager to see Beer develop into a potent spinner as the club looks to improve last season's showing in the Championship, where they won just two of 16 games.

"We're really pleased that Will has signed a new three-year deal. If his improvement last year is anything to go by, his development curve is moving in the right direction and signing an extended contract will allow him the opportunity of developing in to a match winning leg spinner."