Stone signs on

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England Under-19s captain Olly Stone has signed a one-year contract extension at Northamptonshire.

Stone was picked to lead the U19s on the winter tour of South Africa due to an injury to Shiv Thakor and he responded in convincing fashion by taking 17 wickets across the two-Test series.

South Africa won the second and final youth Test in Paarl to level the series, but seamer Stone, whose new deal ties him to Northamptonshire until the end of the 2015 season, really caught the eye with match figures of 11-79 in a losing cause.

Stone, born in Norfolk, has progressed through the ranks at Northants and made his first-class debut against Yorkshire last May.

“I was delighted to hear the good news after coming back from South Africa, where I enjoyed a level of success with ball in hand," he said.

Seamer Olly Stone enjoyed a successful winter, leading England Under-19s in South Africa, and he believes his new contract with Northamptonshire is a reward for his exploits with his country

“It’s nice to be rewarded with this extension, which hopefully goes to show that I’m making progress and improving my game well.”

Head coach David Ripley is delighted to get the young protégée to commit his future to Northamptonshire and hopes he will continue to develop under their watchful guidance.

“This is good reward, not just for his tour, but from the moment he turned professional,” Ripley said.

“His attitude to the game is outstanding for one so young, and we see him becoming a big part of the club’s future ambitions in all formats of the game.”

Meanwhile, a major refurbishment of the County Ground suites, including the Thompson Suite and the Turner Suite/Old Speckled Hen Lounge has begun this week.

The Thompson Suite is the first of the County Ground's event rooms to be revamped, work on which should be completed ahead of the county's first home match from April 17.

Work will then start on the Old Speckled Hen Lounge after the 2013 season has finished, completing a programme of refurbishment that will improve all conference, events and hospitality facilities at the County Ground.

Northants chief executive David Smith said: "Through money received via the Capital Investment Programme run by the ECB, we have decided that a full revamp of our events and hospitality was a much needed investment, and one that sits in with our five-year business plan.

"Through improved facilities which will go a long way to improving customers' experiences of Northants Cricket whilst ensuring a venue that delivers sustainable business growth 365 days a year."

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