Ashley Beck tries to break away from Peter Stringer © Getty Images

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The Ospreys have received a boost ahead of their Heineken Cup clash with Saracens on Friday with the news that young centre Ashley Beck has committed to the club.

The 21-year-old, who crossed the line twice against Saracens at Wembley on Saturday, has put pen to paper on a contract which will keep him at the Liberty Stadium until the summer of 2014. And Beck - the youngest player to turn out in the Celtic League following his appearance against Leinster aged just 17 years and 222 days - is relishing the chance to continue turning out for the Ospreys.

"It's great that I've been able to secure a new contract," Beck said. "I've been fortunate enough to get some valuable first team experience this year and for the coaches to think I've performed well enough to get another two years is fantastic.

"I'm really excited about the future of the Ospreys. We've got a young squad here and we've done really well as a team this season. We are developing well and I think that we can get better still. Working with the great players and coaches here has really helped me kick on as a player and I'm enjoying representing my home region. I genuinely believe that if we keep working hard and keep improving then we can do the region proud."

And Ospreys head coach Sean Holley is looking forward to seeing Beck develop as a player. "Ashley's been around us for a while which makes people think he's older than he actually is," Holley said. "He's still a young man, albeit a mature one, and he's been knocking on the door for a while now. This season he's had a run of games and during this time has shown his value to the Ospreys.

"He's always been a prodigious talent, I remember first seeing him as a 14-year old at Tonmawr along with Kristian Phillips and Matthew Jarvis, and it was clear then that he was destined for greater things. With the security of another two years at the Ospreys, he can now look to kick on even further and push to really establish himself at this level and above. To have him for the next two seasons is a real boost to everybody at the Ospreys."