KEATON Jennings has lifted some of the gloom generated by reports of Durham's financial woe by signing a new four-year contract.

The announcement was delayed by a few days so that Jennings, being a polite young man, could inform those counties who had approached him.

Warwickshire were keen and it is believed Yorkshire were also interested after he made a double century against them at Emirates Riverside.

Now Durham need Scott Borthwick to follow suit and after having a poor game at Taunton the signs are that he needs to remove the uncertainty and settle his future.

While everyone is sad to learn of Mark Stoneman's departure at the end of the season, he has performed better since making the announcement.

The fact that Jennings has a four-year deal is indicative of how highly Durham value a player who is now being groomed for the captaincy.

They were reluctant to offer such lengthy contracts after their experience with Steve Harmison, who hardly played during the period of the lucrative four-year deal he signed after his England career ended.

Jennings, 24, joined Durham in 2011 and progressed through the academy before making his first team debut the following year.

After a tough apprenticeship as an opening batsman on seaming Riverside pitches, he has blossomed on the improved surfaces this year.

Thrust into the captaincy when Paul Collingwood pulled out at Taunton last week, he was unable to score the 49 runs he needed on the sub-standard pitch to become the first in the country to 1,000 runs.

But he remains division one's leading run-scorer with five centuries and has become an effective medium pace bowler in limited-overs cricket.

Jennings said: “Durham have afforded me the opportunity to learn the trade and start to build a career and I am grateful for their support.

“As a team, we have an exciting future in search of the same success that we experienced in 2013 and 2014. It's a privilege to be part of this environment.”

Chief executive David Harker said: “We're delighted that Keaton has agreed a new deal and sees this as a place to further his substantial talent.

“His performances this season have been exceptional and his development across all formats has made him a real asset to the club."