Dernbach signs contract extension

The Surrey fast bowler, Jade Dernbach, will be staying at The Oval until the end of the 2010 season, after signing an extension to his existing contract.

Dernbach, 22, has been a regular in Surrey's one-day team for the last couple of seasons and last week he broke into the County Championship side against Somerset at Whitgift School, where he produced a career-best performance of 6 for 72.

"Jade's contract was up at the end of this season," said Surrey's cricket manager, Alan Butcher, "and I said that I would be prepared to re-negotiate if he proved to me that his attitude, commitment and everything that goes with being a professional cricketer was right.

"He has done that to my satisfaction, therefore we offered him a new contract from now, and his performance against Somerset has fully justified that. He has been knocking on the door all season and could have played at anytime. He has come on leaps and bounds and fully deserves his contract."

Dernbach was a product of the original intake of the Pemberton Greenish Surrey Academy, and became Surrey's youngest debutant for 30 years when he was selected to play against India A in 2003. Two years later, he started to make regular first-team appearances, and featured in the 2005 Twenty20 semi-final against Lancashire, before going on to make his List A debut in the same year.

In 31 one-day matches for Surrey, Dernbach has picked up 49 wickets at an average of 26.73 demonstrating that he is developing the sort of control required for the longer version of the game.