Tom Lace returns to Middlesex on fresh contract after successful Derbyshire loan

The 21-year-old opener scored three centuries in 10 appearances during Derbyshire's latest County Championship campaign

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Middlesex have signed young opener Tom Lace to a two-year contract extension after a successful season on loan to Derbyshire.

Lace had already been under contract with until the end of the 2020 season after graduating from the club's academy, however all but one of his 25 professional appearances have come since he was first drafted into the Derbyshire squad in August 2018.

The 21-year-old scored 1,029 runs in his 15 County Championship appearances with county, including raising a maiden century against Glamorgan in June and tallying two more by the season's close.

"I'm over the moon to have signed a new contract with the club that's been a huge part of my life since I was 10 years old," Lace commented.

"I'm very grateful for the opportunity that [coach] Stuart Law and [director of cricket] Angus Fraser have given me, and I'll be doing all I can to contribute to Middlesex on and off the pitch over the coming months and years."

Lace, who also featured in every game of Derbyshire's One-Day Cup campaign before being recalled to make his Lord's debut against Leicestershire in May, is likely to fit into a Middlesex lineup bolstered by the signing of Australia batsman Peter Handscomb as club captain on a two-year deal.

Handscomb's arrival follows the departure of England batsman Dawid Malan, who has agreed a move to Yorkshire after more than a decade at Lord's, while Paul Stirling has opted to end his county career in order to remain eligible for international duty with Ireland.

Law added: "Tom proved himself in this division last season while on loan at Derbyshire and will be a great addition to our middle order.

"[He is] a talented batsman, a great character in the dressing room, and a Middlesex man through and through."

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