Derbyshire hand quartet new deals

Derbyshire have signed up a quartet of their bright young players on new contracts. Dan Birch, Chris Paget and Ross Whiteley have penned one-year contracts while teenage wicketkeeper Tom Poynton secured a two-year deal.

Birch, 26, was plucked from Derby Premier League cricket ahead of the 2007 season and he has made a decent impression in his debut season as a professional. A century before lunch on his first-class debut against Cambridge University was followed by 95 in his maiden Championship innings for the club against Gloucestershire.

Despite missing the end of the campaign through injury