Young quicks headline Blues squad

A pair of promising young pacemen headline the New South Wales Blues contract list for the 2017-18 season.

Speedsters Charlie Stobo and Henry Thornton are part of a 20-man contract list which includes nine players with international experience.

Six players – Steve Smith, David Warner, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon – have Cricket Australia contracts.

Stobo, 22, made a dramatic impact in his first-class debut last year with seven wickets against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval, including 4-46 in the second innings as the West End Redbacks scraped to a tense two-wicket win.

"Charlie Stobo has been very impressive in Grade cricket and we identified him quite early as someone of huge interest for us," Blues head coach Trent Johnston said.

"His line and length bowling is very good. He’s a huge talent."

Thornton, 20, is a former Australia Under-19 fast bowler who claimed 13 wickets at 13.46 in five one-dayers against England in April 2015 before making his KFC Big Bash League debut for the Sydney Sixers in January this year, taking 1-40 from four overs. 

The Blues will be aiming for a hat-trick of domestic one-day titles this summer after back-to-back wins in 2015 and 2016, with their campaign boosted by the expected return to elite cricket of recovering star quick Starc.

NSW state contracts: Moises Henriques, Peter Nevill, Nic Maddinson, Stephen O'Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Sean Abbott, Gurinder Sandhu, Ben Dwarshius , Ed Cowan, Will Somerville, Daniel Hughes, Nick Larkin, Trent Copeland, Harry Conway, Ryan Gibson, Arjun Nair, Charlie Stobo, Jay Lenton, Doug Bollinger, Henry Thornton

Cricket Australia contracts: Steve Smith, David Warner, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon

Rookies: Jordan Gauci, Dan Fallins, Mickey Edwards, Param Uppal, Jason Sangha, Liam Hatcher

INS: Stobo, Thornton

OUTS: Ben Rohrer, Ryan Carters, Josh Lalor, Chris Green, Jonty Pattinson