Pace bowler Jack White signs new deal at Northants

Seam bowler Jack White has signed a new contract with Northants, keeping him at the County Ground until the end of 2022.
Jack White has signed a new two-year contract with NorthantsJack White has signed a new two-year contract with Northants
Jack White has signed a new two-year contract with Northants

White initially signed for Northants ahead of the 2019 season, but he was denied any first team appearances due to injury.

Head coach David Ripley kept faith with the 28-year-old though, and offered him a new deal for 2020 - only for the Covid-19 pandemic to strike.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

For a while it seemed as though White would have another summer of inactivity through no fault of his own, but the ECB did manage to get a shortened season underway in August.

That gave White a batch of Bob Willis Trophy matches to show what he is all about in the first-class arena, and the Cumbrian did the business.

White performed brilliantly to claim 13 wickets in just four games, with best figures of four for 35 and an average of 20, and he finished as the club's leading wicket-taker in the competition.

Those stats and his performances were more than enough to persuade Ripley to offer the bowler a new deal, which he was happy to sign.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I’m really happy to have signed a new contract, as an unknown player to turn up injured last year and not be able to show what I can do was hard to deal with.” said White, who was spotted by former County assistant coach Phil Rowe when playing Grade cricket in Australia.

“But I worked very hard with Lorks (strength and conditioning coach Chris Lorkin) in the gym for months over the break to make sure when I was fit I could make an impact.”

He becomes the latest in a string of bowlers who have been picked up from lower level cricket by Northants, following in the footsteps of the likes of Jack Brooks, Ben Sanderson and Richard Gleeson, a player he used to come against in the Northern League.

White's first-class debut in August had been a long-time coming, and the Kendal-born player admitted he had been anxious about whether or not he would make the grade.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I had two great years in Sydney that really gave me the confidence I was good enough, bowling at proper players on flat pitches and being successful," he said.

"Until you’ve played you can never be 100 per cent sure though, but I knew if I could get close to the levels I was bowling the last couple of years, it would go alright.”

Northants bowling coach Chris Liddle was certainly impressed with White, and is delighted he will be able to work with him again in 2021.

“Jack’s enjoyed a good run this year in the Bob Willis Trophy and he really grew into regular first class cricket," said Liddle.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“He’s been brilliant to work with and has a real hunger and desire to keep improving his game.

"We’re building a really strong and competitive bowling unit across all formats and it’s great Jack is remaining part of that.”

White becomes the third out-of-contract player to put pen to paper on a new deal at Wantage Road, following on from batsmen Charlie Thurston and Ben Curran.

The County's other players whose contracts end this winter are Richard Levi, Blessing Muzarabani, Graeme White and Tom Sole.