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Dent looking to consolidate place as a senior player after signing new deal

1 February 2016

Gloucestershire batsman Chris Dent says he wants to consolidate his position as a senior player after signing a new contract with his hometown club.

The left handed batsman – who has just turned 25 – has followed fellow Royal London Cup winners Gareth Roderick and Tom Smith by committing until the end of the 2018 season.

Chris said: “Being a Bristol boy and this being the only club I’ve been at I am excited to stay here. With the great bunch of lads we’ve got and winning a trophy last year there was never any thought of leaving.

“Having been here quite a while I need to step up and be one of the main players . I am a senior player now and I need to take on that sort of role.”

To watch a video interview with Chris click below:

Chris, who has just become a father for the first time, came through Gloucestershire’s Academy and made his debut in 2010. In the current squad only Hamish Marshall has been with the club longer.

The opening batsman has scored more than 5,000 career runs in all competitions and registered his highest score of 268 in the club’s last match of 2015 vs Glamorgan.

That score was the fourth highest by a Gloucestershire player and took him to over 1000 Championship runs in a season for the second time.

The former England Under 19 player made 22 in the club’s Royal London One-Day Cup final win over at Surrey at Lord’s and is targeting improvement in the shorter forms of the game during the 2016 season.

Chris said: “I would like to perform in all forms of cricket. Last year I didn’t have a stand out season in white ball cricket so hopefully I can improve on that and keep going well in the red ball stuff. “

And in Gloucestershire overseas star Michael Klinger – who was topscorer in the country across the white ball competitions in 2016 - Chris says he has the perfect man to learn from.

“With Klinger, I’ve learned so much from him in the year’s I’ve played with him. He’s such a professional and it’s great to be around him.”

Chris is the third player in the last three weeks to sign a contract extension until the end of 2018, following wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick and spinner Tom Smith.

And Gloucestershire head coach Richard Dawson said he was pleased secured all three players for the longer term.

He said: “After Gareth and Tom extending their contracts it’s great to have Chris staying for another three years.

“He showed some very good form in red ball cricket last year and finished on a high with a double century against Glamorgan. Hopefully going forward he can build on that and play a key role in white ball cricket as well.

“Chris has a close affiliation with the club, having come through the Academy here and it is great that he’s decided to extend his contract.”

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