Worcestershire CCC will have a trio of new players as part of their 2019-2020 Academy intake in Alex Hinkley, Oliver Walker and Harry Cooke.
The trio will link up with the Academy when they report back for training sessions from November.
Here Academy Coach Elliot Wilson gives a rundown on the three players who are part of a nine strong group announced earlier this month.
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Alex Hinkley
Elliot Wilson said: “Alex is from Bromsgrove School, where he is in his final year, plays for Brockhampton Cricket Club in the Birmingham League and has been in the Worcestershire CCC pathway for the past five years.
“He has been in and around all of our cricket for the past two or three years and has just matured really well and is in a really good place to give Academy and second team cricket a real good push and to see where he can be by this time next year.
“Alex is a top order batsman and he played a couple of Worcestershire second team games this year which was a good experience for him and he made a favourable impression in those games even though he didn’t have to do much.”
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Oliver Walker
Elliot Wilson said: “Ollie is from Beacon Cricket Club in the Staffordshire Premier League. He is 14 and went to the Bunbury Festival this year a year young.
“He also went to the Best Of Bunburys and made his Worcestershire second team debut against Surrey at Guildford the end of the summer aged 14.
“He hit a six from his third ball in second team cricket and Ollie’s numbers are second to none in my time here. Only Jack Haynes would have had better numbers. He has scored lots of runs.
“Earlier in the year he played for the Academy versus Yorkshire and scored 120 and played magnificently. He featured in Under-17s games throughout the year and contributed and looked as comfortable as anyone at the crease for periods of time.
“He is an exciting young player, a top order batter who can bowl some seam up.”
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Harry Cooke
Elliot Wilson said: “Harry is a Shrewsbury schoolboy and has been on the satellite academy for the past couple of years,
“He is yet another one who has come through the Paul Pridgeon tutelage-contact time. He has played a lot for Shrewsbury School this year.
“Harry was a very heavy run scorer for Shropshire Under-15s and also got selected into the Bunbury Festival this year and played a number of games for the Academy that led us to feel he will be worthwhile giving some serious time and support to over the next 12 months.
“He has played for Shrewsbury Cricket Club, mainly for the second team.”
Ed Bragg, Peter Clark, Josh Dickenson, Henry Cullen, Rehan Edavalath and Reeve Evitts are the six youngsters who are returning onto the programme to make a group of nine for 2019-2020.
