Coughtrie clears Gloucs future

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Richard Coughtrie began the championship season as a specialist batsman but soon displaced Jonathan Batty behind the stumps

Emerging wicketkeeper-batsman Richard Coughtrie, ever-present in the LV= County Championship this year, has extended his contract with Gloucestershire.

The 23-year-old Oxford UCCE graduate’s existing deal, signed in November last year, was due to expire at the end of next season.

Coughtrie, who displaced Jonathan Batty as first-choice championship gloveman after six games this year, took 35 catches in 10 championship matches behind the stumps and scored 632 runs in all 16 at 25.28 with a best of 54 not out versus Derbyshire.

He played in 13 of the Gladiators’ 16 Friends Life t20 contests but not once in the Clydesdale Bank 40, a competition in which Batty kept throughout.

Coughtrie becomes the seventh youngster to commit to Gloucestershire since the end of the season following Chris Dent, Jack Taylor, Ian Saxelby, David Payne, Ian Cockbain and Liam Norwell.

Coughtrie, Gloucestershire’s young player of the year, said: “I feel very privileged to have signed an extension to my current contract. I really enjoyed my first season here and want to play a part in bringing success to what I believe is a great county.”

Gloucestershire director of cricket John Bracewell added: “Richard showed tremendous fortitude in forcing his way into the first team, firstly as a batsman and then as wicketkeeper.

“He showed all the resilient attributes that we are looking for in our cricketers for the future of Gloucestershire Cricket and thoroughly deserves through performances on the pitch an extension to his contract.”

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