Dylan Hartley has become a key part of the Saints side © Getty Images

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The Northampton Saints have confirmed that skipper Dylan Hartley has extended his contract until 2015.

The England hooker is now in his seventh season at Franklin's Gardens - after arriving from Worcester back in 2005 - and played a key part in their run to the Heineken Cup final last term. With 34 England caps to his name, Hartley is set to be included in Stuart Lancaster's EPS squad for the 2012 Six Nations but the hooker is adamant he still has much to achieve over the next three years with the Saints.

"I've got a lot of ambition for myself and for the team and want to keep cracking on," Hartley said, "And I know that I need to keep improving as a player as we've got several good hookers at the club who all want to be playing first team rugby and are knocking on the door. I'm delighted and very happy to be staying at the Saints. I've played all my professional rugby here, the club's a big part of my life and I'm happy to continue that.

"The Heineken Cup run last year is an obvious highlight of my time here so far, and Division One was good fun, too. But my whole time here has been a great experience and a learning curve. I've grown up here and it's a home away from home."

Hartley follows in the footsteps of England duo Courtney Lawes and Ben Foden in committing to the Saints though question marks still surround the future of Chris Ashton amid reports he may join rivals Saracens. But Jim Mallinder is looking forward to seeing Hartley develop further at Franklin's Gardens.

"Even though he is just 25 years old Dylan is one of our senior players, and we're now just starting to see him grow into his position as captain," Mallinder said. "He leads the team from the front and never takes a backward step. He is very motivated to make the team succeed and bring the best out of the other players in the squad.

"He is also determined to keep improving as a player. 25 is still young for a front-rower, and while Dylan is established in the Premiership and at international level there is plenty for him to learn. So we think the best is yet to come from him, and we're delighted that he will be getting better as part of the Saints squad over the next three years."