Billy Root in action for Glamorgan. Pic: Getty Images.

Mark Wallace Is Excited To See Progress . . . As Six Glamorgan Players Extend Their Deals At The Welsh County

Posted on

By David Williams

Billy Root and Timm van der Gugten are two of five players to sign new deals with Glamorgan Cricket. Jamie McIlroy, Callum Taylor and Andy Gorvin have also extended their stays with the Welsh county.

Billy Root, the younger brother of England cricketer Joe Root has signed a two year extension, averaging 32.44 with the bat in 39 first class cricket and 41.94 in the List A format.

Left-handed batter Root arrived from Nottinghamshire after the 2018 season and has been a regular across all three competitions. The 30-year-old has played 80 times and scored 2,849 runs for Glamorgan across all formats.

Netherlands international, Timm van der Gugten and Jamie McIlroy have also signed new two-year contracts, while Callum Taylor and Andy Gorvin have signed one-year deals with the club.

Pathway product Bevan has also signed a two-year contract with the Welsh county. The 23-year-old has come through the Glamorgan Pathway and after a string of impressive performances with the 2nd XI, signed a short-term deal in the summer where he made his 1st team debut across all three domestic competitions.

Director of cricket, Mark Wallace, said: “Tom has impressed everyone at the Club this season and put in some fantastic performances across both the 1st and 2nd teams where he has shown he is able to step up a level. We’re really excited to see how he progresses over the next couple of years.

“Timm is a very experienced bowler who is a key player for us across all formats. Along with Michael Hogan, he has led the attack for several years and we look forward to him continuing that role.

“Billy showed again this season what a talented player he is with the match-winning knock against Worcestershire. He is also a very popular member of the dressing room and a positive influence on the squad.

“Callum played very well in the 2nd team this season and his off-spin has come on leaps and bounds, and although he didn’t get the first-team opportunities he would have liked this year, he remains an important member of the squad.

“Both Jamie and Andy did well when called upon this year and offer something a little different to other members of the bowling line-up. We look forward to seeing how they develop.”

Cardiff-born batter Tom Bevan has signed his first professional deal with the Welsh county, following an excellent spell towards the end of the season, which included a magnificent 134 against Hampshire in Neath.

On signing his two-year deal, Bevan said: “It’s what dreams are made of, I’ve worked so hard for it since I was a little boy. I always said I wanted to be a cricketer, and to achieve it finally is a dream come true, so I’m very proud.

“I’m a massive advocate of being able to hit balls constantly, so to have the backing of the support staff gives me the self-confidence to go out there and show them how good I am, and hopefully I can back it up with performances.”

Dutch seamer van der Gugten, 31, joined Glamorgan in 2016 and has made 134 appearances for the Welsh county across all formats, taking 286 wickets, including 199 first-class scalps. He was awarded his county cap in 2018 and won the Club’s Player of the Year Award in 2016 and 2018.

28-year-old left-arm seamer McIlroy from Builth Wells, signed in 2019 and made his first-class debut against Yorkshire in 2021 and his List A and T20 debuts earlier this year.

Pontypool-born all-rounder Taylor (24) made his first Glamorgan appearance in 2019 during the Vitality Blast and made an explosive first-class debut a year later when he smashed an 88-ball century against Northamptonshire, while Gorvin (25) joined in 2021 and made his List A debut during Glamorgan’s Royal London Cup-winning campaign before debuting in first-class cricket this year.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *