SOMERSET County Cricket Club have announced that big hitting batter Will Smeed has signed an all format contract extension until at least the end of the 2027 season.

The top order batter’s current deal was due to expire at the end of 2026, but the Club have moved to extend his stay at the Cooper Associates County Ground. The 24-year-old will be available for selection in both white ball and red ball cricket.

The Kings College graduate, who plays his club cricket for Bridgwater CC, made his debut for the Somerset Under 10s in 2010 as an eight-year-old and worked his way through the Somerset Age Group sides before joining the Somerset Academy in 2016. He made his Second XI debut for Somerset against Middlesex at Taunton Vale at the age of just 15 in 2017.

The following season in only his fourth Second XI championship match when he was 16 Will made a century against Sussex at Taunton Vale, during which he shared a sizeable partnership with England batter Marcus Trescothick who was suitably impressed by his young colleague’s performance.

Will made his Somerset First XI debut in the Vitality Blast against Worcestershire at Taunton in 2020 and signed his first professional contract ahead of the 2021 season. An integral element of Somerset’s Vitality Blast winning side in 2023, Will smashed 94 from just 58 balls to claim the Player of the Match award in the 2025 final as Somerset regained the Blast title.

Will has played in a total of 81 T20 matches for the club, amassing 2290 runs with 17 50s at an average of 30.13, and in 2022 he became the first batter to score a century in The Hundred.

After signing his contract extension, Will said: “Somerset is where I’ve been for my whole career, so this feels great. I love the group, I love the ground, I love the members and supporters, and I just love playing my cricket here. We’ve had some great experiences together over the last few years and I’m looking forward to sharing some more of those.

“This season’s Vitality Blast win was very special and experiences like that just make you hungry for more. We’ll definitely be looking for more of that next season.

“I’m loving playing cricket at the moment in every format. I just want to play as much cricket as I can, score as many runs as I can and help the team win games. In red ball cricket that means scoring lots of runs for the Twos and trying to force my way into a very strong side.

“That’s definitely a goal for this year. I want to break into that team and solidify my place in red ball cricket.

Will added: “The Championship is the one that everyone wants, so if I could contribute in any way to us winning that first title that would be amazing.”

Somerset Director of Cricket, Andy Hurry added: “Everyone can resonate with how impactful a player Will is in white ball cricket, and the memories of his innings in last season’s Vitality Blast Final against Hampshire will live in our memories for a very long time. We are delighted he has committed to all-formats within this extension and we very much look forward to seeing his impact grow across formats over the coming seasons.”