Derbyshire trio pen new contracts

Groenewald, Hunter and Lungley are all staying at Derbyshire

Pace bowlers Tim Groenewald, Ian Hunter and Tom Lungley have signed new contracts at Derbyshire for 2010.

Groenewald, 25, joined Derbyshire from Warwickshire for the 2009 season and topped the county's first-class bowling averages, taking 34 wickets at 27.08.

Hunter, 30, played seven first-class matches this season, taking 21 wickets at an average of 28.23.

And in also penning a new one-year deal, Lungley, 30, has extended his Derbyshire career into an 11th year.

The trio join the club's Australian captain Chris Rogers in committing their futures to the County Ground.

Groenewald, in particular, enjoyed a stand-out summer after breaking into the County Championship side, taking a career-best 6-50 against Surrey at Whitgift School - one of two six-wicket hauls.

Tom is a valuable member of our bowling staff and I am pleased that he will be around for us again next season

Derbyshire head of cricket John Morris on Tom Lungley

Head of cricket John Morris said: "Although he slotted straight into our one-day team at the start of the season, Tim had to wait patiently before his opportunity came in the first-class arena.

"His attitude during that period was excellent and he was clearly focused on forcing his way into the side.

"Once he achieved that, Tim never looked back and was a whole-hearted performer and a regular source of wickets for the team."

Hunter, who joined Derbyshire from Durham in 2004, took five wickets on two occasions but found himself out of the side in the closing stages of the season.

Morris stated: "Ian deserves his new deal for the way he started the campaign.

"He was a reliable source of wickets during the opening weeks of the season while we were setting about proving ourselves as genuine promotion contenders. Hopefully he can recapture that form in 2010."

On Lungley, whose highlight of 2009 was a county Twenty20 Cup best 5-27 against Leicestershire, Morris added: "Tom is a valuable member of our bowling staff and I am pleased that he will be around for us again next season."