Howgego scored 80 against Derbyshire in the Championship

Northants batsmen Ben Howgego and Robert Newton have signed new deals to stay at the County Ground until 2012.

Howgego, 22, has played six first-class games and Newton made his Championship debut against Worcestershire in August.

Head coach David Capel said: "Ben has been gradually improving over the past couple of years and he's started to find his feet as a young professional.

"Rob has started well, he has a lot of potential and it's great to see these academy graduates make the step up."

Howgego is targeting a regular starting place in Northants' first XI and said: "I love playing cricket here and have done since I was 15.

"I'm really pleased to have been given the chance to stay here for another two years. I want to continue to improve and become an integral member of the squad.

Twenty-year-old Newton believes he has the ability to make a contribution in first-class cricket.

"I wanted to stay at Northants and have worked hard to make sure I could. I've shown over the past couple of weeks that I'm capable of playing at this level," he said.

"I've now got two years to prove that I can do that consistently and become a valuable member of the playing staff."

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