Former captain Wes Durston agrees to leave Derbyshire

Experienced all-rounder Wes Durston has been praised for his 'tremendous' contribution after a surprise decision to leave Derbyshire by mutual consent.
WES DURSTON -- 2i8 appearances and more than 7.600 runs in seven seasons with Derbyshire.WES DURSTON -- 2i8 appearances and more than 7.600 runs in seven seasons with Derbyshire.
WES DURSTON -- 2i8 appearances and more than 7.600 runs in seven seasons with Derbyshire.

The 36-year-old departs after making 218 appearances for the club since his debut in 2010 and amassing 7,628 runs across all formats.

Durston featured in 75 first-class matches, scoring 3,620 runs at an average of 31, including five centuries, and claiming 95 wickets.

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He was named the club’s NatWest T20 Blast and Royal London One-Day Cup captain during the 2015 season, and led the side for two campaigns. In total, he made 143 limited-overs appearances for Derbyshire, scored more than 4,000 runs and bagged 75 wickets.

The club’s cricket advisory director, Kevin Dean, said: “Wes has been a tremendous player for Derbyshire and we would like to thank him for his efforts over the last seven seasons.

“He made many notable contributions down the years, no more than in our 2012 promotion-winning season. But both parties feel that the time is now right to move on. We wish Wes all the very best for the future.”

Durston commented: “I’d like to thank all the coaches, players, members and supporters at the club who have supported me throughout my seven seasons at Derbyshire.”

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As Durston leaves, Derbyshire have swooped to make a new signing in former Lancashire all-rounder Luis Reece, who has signed a two-year deal.

During a four-year stint with Lancashire, the top-order batsman made 30 appearances across all three formats, scoring 1,235 runs at an average of 31.

The 26-year-old enjoyed a standout debut season in 2013 when he appeared in ten first-class fixtures, hitting 722 runs at an average of 55 and being named the county’s young player of the year as they secured promotion to the top flight.

In addition to his talents as a batsman, Reece offers a left-arm seam option with the ball and has taken 22 wickets at senior level.

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Derbyshire’s new director of cricket, Kim Barnett, said: “Luis is a very talented batsman, in both red and white ball cricket. He has had limited opportunities at Lancashire over the last few seasons, mainly due to injury. This is a fresh start and provides him with a chance to show us what he can do.”

Reece said: “Derbyshire have exciting ambitions for the years ahead, and I can’t wait to get started.”

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