Chambers signs new Essex deal

Maurice Chambers played in three championship matches for Essex during the season

Essex seamer Maurice Chambers has signed a two-year contract extension, taking him up to the end of the 2011 season.

The 21-year-old, whose existing deal expires at the end of the 2009 campaign, has been rewarded for the encouraging progress he made last season.

Chambers featured in all but one of Essex’s matches on their way to Twenty20 Cup finals day, taking 10 wickets at an average of 22.10.

The Jamaica-born cricketer also featured in three first-class games and two NatWest Pro40 fixtures before an ankle operation ended his season early at the start of September.

“It’s nice to have secured my future with Essex,” Chambers told Essex’s website. “Last season was my best so far since graduating from the academy - I played in most of the Twenty20 games and a couple of championship matches so it was a good season.”

Chambers is recovering sufficiently after his recent surgery to be part of the ECB’s fast bowling skills set over the winter. He will attend a training camp at the National Performance Centre at Loughborough between November 17-21 before flying out to Florida on November 23 for further training with the group, returning on December 21.

Chambers added: “I’m recovering nicely and am in no pain. All being well I might start walking through my run-up at Loughborough before going to Florida, which is going to be mainly fitness-based.

“I’m looking forward to it but it’s going to be a lot of hard work. The ECB have shown a lot of faith in me to keep me involved in these groups and I hope to continue to progress next season by playing more first-team games for Essex.”

“My main goal at the moment is to get myself into a position to be opening the bowling in Essex’s first championship game in 2009.

“The hard work with Essex starts in January and I’ll be doing whatever it takes to get into the first-team. If I do well for Essex I can then start to realistically think about breaking into the England side.

“There are not many faster bowlers than me in the country so there is no reason why I shouldn’t be thinking in that way.”