Hampshire's Katie George Awarded England Rookie Contract

Hampshire all-rounder Katie George has been awarded a Rookie Contract following England Women's announcement of their new raft of central contracts for 2019.

21 players are now centrally contracted to ECB - four of those on Rookie Contracts, with Bryony Smith, Alice Davidson-Richards and Linsey Smith joining George. Southern Vipers duo Tammy Beaumont and Danni Wyatt are also on the list of retained players having been awarded full central contracts once again.

The new contracts signify a higher level of remuneration for England Women, continuing the trend since the women's game turned professional in 2014.

The overall salary pot has grown by 10 per cent on 2018, with several players receiving an increase of between 15 and 30 per cent on their 2018 salary. The bonus pot for bi-lateral series wins has also been increased by 25 per cent.

The full retained list is as follows:

Tammy Beaumont (Kent), Katherine Brunt (Yorkshire), Kate Cross (Lancashire), Freya Davies (Sussex), Sophie Ecclestone (Lancashire), Georgia Elwiss (Sussex), Jenny Gunn (Warwickshire), Alex Hartley (Lancashire), Amy Jones (Warwickshire), Heather Knight (Berkshire), Laura Marsh (Kent), Nat Sciver (Surrey), Anya Shrubsole (Somerset), Sarah Taylor (Sussex), Fran Wilson (Kent), Lauren Winfield (Yorkshire), Danni Wyatt (Sussex), Alice Davidson-Richards (Kent)*, Katie George (Hampshire)*, Bryony Smith (Surrey)*, Linsey Smith (Sussex)*.

*Denotes rookie contract