He played first-class and List A cricket for Leicestershire from 2004 to 2011, spending the latter part of the 2008 season on loan to Derbyshire.
The promising wicket-keeper switched to Leicestershire and played for the county's Under 19s, Cricket Board and second XI.
He was part of England's squad for the 2004 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Bangladesh and made his first-class debut in May 2004 when he played in a four-day tour match against New Zealand, taking three catches.
New had his progress as a wicketkeeper blocked by the presence in the Leicestershire team of Paul Nixon.
He played in all 15 of Leicestershire's County Championship matches in 2007, scoring 832 runs at an average of 33.28 and including 8 half centuries.