England Under 19s batsman James Taylor, from Burrough-on-the-Hill, together with former Egerton Park youth player Matt Boyce agreed three-year deals with the Grace Road club.

Seam bowler Sam Cliff, from Bottesford, also impressed after making his First XI debut, taking best figures of 4 for 42 in the final match of the season.

Cliff was rewarded with a new two-year contract with the Foxes.

But there was a double reason for celebration in the Taylor household after the news broke on Tuesday he had been selected to tour South Africa with England Under 19s in the new year.

He said: "Signing the contract was a great weight off my mind and I'm very grateful to Leicestershire for the offer.

"I'm looking forward to the future with Leicestershire – they have great coaches and great facilities and with the mixture of youth and experience, the future looks bright.

"Being selected for England is a great opportunity to play against some of the best young cricketers around."

Perhaps understandably, the 18-year-old struggled to adapt to the rigours of First Class cricket this summer while also juggling the academic demands of A-Level exams. He made 11 First XI appearances, scoring only 13 runs in four County Championship innings.

But on the plus side he prospered in the limited overs game, scoring his maiden First Class 50 after just two appearances in the Natwest Pro40 League.

Taylor added: "Obviously from playing school cricket to First Class cricket is a huge step up.

"Some of the scores haven't been the best, but having the experienced players around has helped a lot and just getting the opportunity to play at this level has been great.

"Next season I hope to establish myself in the one-day side and get as many County Championship games under my belt as possible."

Opening bat Boyce, can look back on decent figures after a superb start in his first full year at Grace Road after finishing a business degree.

He began with two 50s in his first match of the season and finished with 648 runs from 25 innings, including a maiden first XI ton.