Peters contract an obvious decision says boss Smith

Northants' four-day captain Stephen Peters has signed a new two-year deal with the club

The 34-year-old opening batsman was on a deal that ran to the end of the 2014 campaign but that has been superseded by fresh terms that tie him to the club until the conclusion of the 2015 season.

Peters’ debut year as captain of the County Championship side ended with promotion to the top tier being secured and Smith said that this development is well deserved.

He said: “This is a reflection of the season we’ve just had.

“Stephen is an integral part of our top order batting - he was the only one to score consistently last season - and he did a very good job as captain.

“He’s well respected by everyone, he’s enjoying his cricket here and we’re all delighted that he will be staying for at least another two years.

“This contract is a fitting reward for him.”

Come next summer there will be a different landscape to the goings-on at the County Ground with Division One four-day cricket and the change back to the 50-over one-day game, and while Smith knows that these will present hurdles to overcome, he thinks that Peters is in a good position to handle whatever is thrown up.

He added: “There will be different challenges and we all know that.

“There will be the chance for Stephen to push a claim in the longer form of the limited overs game and the first division will obviously provide us with different challenges.

“But Stephen is grounded, he knows all of this and he will be prepared for it.”