Chris Taylor made his first-class debut for Yorkshire in 2001, having come through the county's youth set-up. Taylor is a tall opening batsman whose maiden first-class half-century, against Surrey in 2002, took 195 minutes. He represented England Under-17 and Under-19 and was named as the Yorkshire CCC Supporters' Club Young Player of the Year in 1999.

He played in three matches in Yorkshire's Championship-winning season of 2001, but found opportunities limited and left for Derbyshire in 2005 to further his ambitions, despite having been offered a new contract at Headingley. At the County Ground Taylor enjoyed a decent first full season in the Championship in 2006 scoring close to a thousand first-class runs with three centuries, but it was on the one-day field that he really shone, as he finished second in the national one-day averages with 564 runs at 62.66.

Fittingly he scored a century on one-day debut for Derbyshire against his old county at Headingley, and in doing so became the first player in the county's history to score a hundred on first-class and one-day debut. That year he was named Derbyshire's one-day Player-of-the-Year and finished second in the overall Player-of-the-Year award, as well as being named the supporters Player-of-the-Year, which capped a fine season and fully justified his decision to move south. Derbyshire were quick to recognise these achievements and offered him an improved two-year contract in September 2006. In the same month, he founded his own academy - the Pro Cricket Coaching Academy to provide coaching across the Midlands and northern England.

However, contrary to the high hopes he had raised, exactly a year down the line, Taylor asked to be released from his contract with immediate effect and he re-joined Yorkshire on a three-year contract from March 2008.
Sam Collins January 2008

• Langeveldt and Hinds ruin Middlesex (Aug 15, 2008)
  
• Taylor seals win with last-ball six (Jun 17, 2008)
  
• Trescothick and Langer lift Somerset to the top (Jun 2, 2008)
  
• Benkenstein and Smith hurt Sussex (May 31, 2008)
  
• Sussex hit back after slump (May 30, 2008)
  

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Jun 17, 2008 Chris Taylor (right) and Tim Bresnan celebrate Yorkshire's last-ball win © Getty Images

Apr 16, 2007 Chris Taylor poses during a Derbyshire CCC photocall © Getty Images

Oct 19, 2006 Chris Taylor Player Portrait © Derbyshire CCC

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