Lancashire Cricket is delighted to announce that Will Williams has signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with the Club.
Williams has signed a local player contract, due to holding a British passport, therefore the New Zealander will no longer be registered as an overseas signing during his time with the Red Rose.
The 29-year-old’s contract with Lancashire Cricket begins immediately, and he will be available for selection across all three formats.
Williams initially signed a short-term overseas contract with the Club and impressed on debut, during the win against Warwickshire at Edgbaston, where he claimed match figures of 6/112.
The Kiwi followed up that performance by bowling with control and accuracy during the drawn match away to Gloucestershire last week.
Williams enjoyed a remarkable career in New Zealand playing for Canterbury in first-class cricket. He bagged 123 wickets at 23.15 bowling right-arm medium-fast, alongside 81 wickets across the white-ball formats.
Director of Cricket Mark Chilton said:
Will’s situation has been on our radar for quite some time, he was a player we identified last winter as a possible overseas option before learning that Will also holds a British passport and was considering the option of playing in the UK as a local player.
Due to injuries and international selection, we required a seamer at short notice for last month’s County Championship matches and following Will’s performances in those matches, and through conversations with him since, we have taken the decision to turn his short-term overseas contract into a local player contract.
This is an exciting opportunity for us, and for Will, and he has already been a really nice fit into the Club in terms of the type of cricketer he is and we look forward to him developing with us over the course of the next three-and-a-half seasons.
Will Williams added:
I have really enjoyed my short time with Lancashire Cricket so far and I am so pleased to have been given the opportunity to stay here on a longer-term basis.
It was a big life decision to use my British heritage to take up local player status and give up my ability to play back in New Zealand, however, I felt this was an incredible opportunity to learn and grow my game. I would like to thank the Club – particularly Mark Chilton and Glen Chapple – for making it happen.
The lads have made me feel at home here already and I am now looking forward to playing at Emirates Old Trafford for the first time in front of our Members and supporters and helping this great Club to challenge for trophies again.
Source: www.lancashirecricket.co.uk
