SOMERSET vice captain James Hildreth has just signed a new three year extension to his contract which will keep him at the club at until the end of 2017 at least.

Although he hails from Milton Keynes, the 29-year-old Hildreth played up through the Somerset age groups and made his first team debut in 2003.

He has played in more than 160 First Class matches for the county in which he has scored over 10,000 runs at an average of in excess of 42.

Earlier this week he was at it again when he made 98 at Edgbaston to help Somerset gain maximum batting points from their rain-affected game against Warwickshire which yesterday seemed destined to end in a draw.

Hildreth also has an impressive record in one-day cricket and in all forms of the game has scored over 16,500 runs for Somerset.

He said: “I am very pleased to have signed a three year extension to my contract here with Somerset.

“I have always been very happy here at the County Ground and enjoy playing for Somerset so I can’t imagine what it would be like to go anywhere else. Now I can look forward to several more seasons here in which hopefully I can score a lot more runs for the county.”

Director of Cricket Dave Nosworthy said: “We are delighted to have secured Hildy for the coming three seasons and have no doubt that he will continue to be a great asset for the club.”