Raphy Weatherall extends Northamptonshire stay through 2028

Raphy Weatherall has signed a contract extension keeping him at Northamptonshire until at least the end of the 2028 season. BBC Sport reported the agreement on Thursday, with the county confirming that the right-arm fast bowler has added a year to the contract he signed in 2024. He has taken 41 wickets in 29 appearances across all formats over the past three seasons.

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The agreement follows a change in Weatherall's commitments away from the field. The 21-year-old told the club he completed his law degree at Exeter University in June and can now devote himself to cricket full-time. He also credited work on his strength and fitness for helping him remain free of injury during the season, following earlier interruptions to his development.

The Northamptonshire Telegraph reported that a back stress fracture had kept Weatherall out for almost all of the 2025 campaign. His return to competitive cricket in 2026 was managed with a limited workload: he played three County Championship Division Two matches and five One-Day Cup fixtures, taking five wickets in each competition, according to the newspaper.

His T20 involvement was also restricted. The Telegraph reported that Weatherall made one appearance during Northamptonshire's title-winning Vitality Blast campaign, returning figures of one for 43 in a 53-run victory over Glamorgan at Cardiff in July. That appearance came after a much busier introduction to the format two years earlier.

Northamptonshire's announcement of his previous deal in August 2024 recorded 11 wickets from nine T20 appearances during his first professional season. It also highlighted his contribution to a six-run win over Worcestershire, when he was handed the final over with 11 runs to defend despite not having bowled earlier in the innings. Weatherall had made his county debut against Middlesex that year.

Head coach Darren Lehmann welcomed the new agreement while stressing that the county would continue to manage Weatherall's injury history. In Northamptonshire's announcement, Lehmann described the seamer as a young player with considerable potential and expressed optimism about his development over the coming seasons. The extension gives the club another year to work with him beyond his previous deal.