THORNBURY'S Chris Dent says he wants to consolidate his position as a senior player after signing a new contract with Gloucestershire.

The left handed batsman, who has just turned 25, learnt his trade at Thornbury Cricket Club before going on to gain a professional contract at the County Ground.

His new deal means he has followed fellow Royal London Cup winners Gareth Roderick and Tom Smith by committing until the end of the 2018 season.

Dent said: “Being a Bristol boy and this being the only club I’ve been at, I am excited to stay here.

"With the great bunch of lads we’ve got and winning a trophy last year, there was never any thought of leaving.

“Having been here quite a while I need to step up and be one of the main players . I am a senior player now and I need to take on that sort of role.”

Dent, who has just become a father for the first time, came through Gloucestershire’s Academy and made his debut in 2010. In the current squad, only Hamish Marshall has been with the club longer.

The opening batsman has scored more than five thousand career runs in all competitions and registered his highest score of 268 in the club’s last match of 2015 against Glamorgan.

That score was the fourth highest by a Gloucestershire player and took him to over one thousand Championship runs in a season for the second time.

The former England Under-19 player made 22 in the club’s Royal London One-Day Cup final win over at Surrey at Lord’s.

Dent added: “I would like to perform in all forms of cricket. Last year, I didn’t have a stand out season in white ball cricket so hopefully I can improve on that and keep going well in the red ball stuff. “ And in Gloucestershire overseas star Michael Klinger, Dent says he has the perfect man to learn from.

“I’ve learned so much from him in the years I’ve played with him. He’s such a professional and it’s great to be around him.”

Gloucestershire head coach Richard Dawson said he was pleased secured all three players for the longer term.

He said: “After Gareth and Tom extending their contracts, it’s great to have Chris staying for another three years.

“He showed some very good form in red ball cricket last year and finished on a high with a double century against Glamorgan. Hopefully going forward he can build on that and play a key role in white ball cricket as well.

“Chris has a close affiliation with the club, having come through the Academy here and it is great that he’s decided to extend his contract.”