Pace bowler Matt Milnes has targeted a place in the Nottinghamshire first team next summer after signing his maiden season-long contract.

The 23-year-old right-arm seamer has agreed a deal until the end of the 2018 campaign after initially joining the senior staff on a three-month deal at the end of June.

Nottingham-born Milnes, who played his club cricket at Plumtree before being recruited to the Academy at Trent Bridge in his teens, made five first team squads in 2017 without making an appearance.

But he hopes that will change when the action resumes again in the spring and said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be staying at Notts next year.

“I’ve worked very hard to get to this position and now I’m really excited for what the next year will hopefully bring for me.

“It’s a very hard first team to break into, but that’s the aim. I want to get some good performances under my belt early on in the second team and hopefully push the lads who are in the firsts and maybe break into the team eventually and cement a spot.

“I haven’t quite made the cut after being in first team squads as yet, but it’s given me a taste for it and it’s been great to learn from the senior lads and how they go about things.”

Milnes graduated with a teaching degree in 2015 after three years at Durham University.

He was asked to return to Trent Bridge by current Assistant Head Coach Paul Franks, where he has consistently impressed in the second team.

Director of Cricket Mick Newell added: “Matt’s been with us all year, part-time at first, and we’ve known about him for quite a long time.

“He’s probably been the stand-out pace bowler in the second team, so we feel he fully deserves the opportunity to become a full-time professional.

“He’s aware that this is the start of another process in terms of trying to establish himself as a pro, but hopefully he can show us next year he can compete for a first-team place in all formats.”

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