A quartet of newcomers are part of the 2018-2019 Worcestershire CCC Academy programme intake in Dan Holland, Jacques Banton, Ed Bragg, Rehaan Edavaleth and Reeve Evitts.
The quintet are the latest young talent that Worcestershire are hoping will eventually blossom into becoming first team players, following a long line of talent to have progressed in that fashion.
Here Academy Coach Elliot Wilson gives the rundown on the fledgling five to the Worcestershire CCC website.
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DAN HOLLAND
Elliot Wilson said: “We recognised his development over the year really. He has always been someone that has contributed in the winters, contributed in the summers with his performances. After finishing his exams at Malvern College, he really did show us a development in his own approach, his own maturity.
“His cricket went to another level. He is someone who knows how to score runs. He can concentrate for long periods of time and the lad regularly this summer has performed whether it is with small or sizeable contributions.
“Most times Dan has gone to the wicket this season, we’ve almost had an expectation that he is going to be okay and get some runs and, as an Under-16, he has done very well this year. He generally bats in the top three.
“He also bowls handy off-spin, he plays for Dumbleton CC, he went to the Bunburys in 2017 and he has done really well over the last 12 months, especially when you consider it has been his GCSE year. To make the development he has in a heavy academic year, is a lot of credit to him.
“He got the grades he needed to return to Malvern College in the sixth form and will be there for another two years.”
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JACQUES BANTON
Elliot Wilson said: “Jacques is Under-18, he plays for Barnt Green CC, is in his last year of A levels at the King’s School in Taunton, and is the brother of Tom Banton, the cricketer from Somerset who has played for England Under-19s during the past couple of years.
“He has since the age on nine been with Warwickshire and has joined the Worcestershire Academy for 2018-2019. He is a batting all-rounder, probably will bat three or four and bowls more than useful left arm spin.
“He played at Super Fours this year with Zain (Ul-Hassan) and Jack (Haynes) and he is a talented young man and it is a very fortunate thing that her has ended up coming across to Worcestershire.”
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ED BRAGG
Elliot Wilson said: “Ed has been someone who I’ve know a long time and was in the Under-11s when I first came to the Academy and progressed through the Under-12s, Under-13s, Under-14s and Under-15s.
“He was mainly picked in sides as a batter during that period – and, technically he could bat. Sometimes he would struggle with scoring runs in games and has since developed that side of his game.
“But he has also physically matured a lot during the last 12 months and, at the back end of the winter, we gave him a lot of bowling opportunities, did a bit of work with him. He got into the Under-17s for a friendly at the start of the year and bowled a really lively pace with good late movement and also had a delivery in him which got good players out.
“He was a little inconsistent at times but, when he got it right, he would not get your nine, 10, 11s out but the best players in the opposition with genuine dismissals and has quite rightly been rewarded for some huge untapped potential in his bowling and, to top things, off, in the last Academy game of the season he went in at number seven and scored 120.
“He is at Prince Henry’s School in Evesham, he also plays for Dumbleton CC and is a right arm seamer and a right handed middle order batter.
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REHAAN EDAVALETH
Elliot Wilson said: “Rehaan has been involved now with Worcestershire for two years, the first year of which was when on our satellite academy when he was playing for Staffordshire.
“Then last year he came onto our academy skill sets as he moved to Malvern College and played for our Under-14s and Under-15s in 2018.
“He got selected for the Bunburys a year young (at the age of 14) and he is someone everyone at the club is very conscious of and we hope he has a really enjoyable first year on the Academy.
“He will turn 15 in March and is a top order batsman and a right arm off spinner.”
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REEVE EVITTS
Elliot Wilson said: “Reeve is someone who came to our attention mid-way through 2017, someone we were instantly excited about.
“He spent last winter on our satellite academy and made a real positive impression and has performed outstandingly well for Staffordshire in their age group programme in Under-13s cricket this summer.
“But he also played some games for us throughout the year and was just impressive the way he went about things.
“We’ve brought him onto the programme a year younger than we would do with most of our players but we hope it will add value to his development. He is a genuine all-rounder who bowls seam up.”
