Worcestershire Assistant Coach, Richard Jones, says spinner Tom Hinley has the ability to be a white ball match winner but also the potential to make his mark in red ball cricket.
Spinner Hinley was spotted by Jones in the nets last winter at Loughborough University where he is studying for a Sports Science degree.
He impressed during a trial period with the Seconds, who are overseen by Jones, and went onto impress in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
The 22-year-old finish with 13 wickets and formed an effective mid innings partnership with fellow spinner Fateh Singh.
It was sufficient to earn Hinley a one year professional rookie contract at Visit Worcestershire New Road.
Last month he played a key role in British and Irish Knights retaining the European Cricket Network T10 title in Spain.
Jones said: “I’m really excited to see how he goes this year because, certainly in white ball cricket, he has the ability to be a match-winner for us.
“He is an attacking spin option and compliments the other spin options we have in the squad really well.
“But, if he keeps working hard and developing as he has done so far, he could also develop into a four-day option as well.
“He knows the areas he has got to work on, in terms of being more consistent with the red ball, which is the same for all young spinners around the country.
“We also know that wrist spin is a difficult skill to master so hopefully we can be patient with him and he can keep pushing himself in his practice and his preparation.
“As I said, he has certainly got a match-winning ability by being able to spin the ball both ways and he seems to be difficult to pick up, especially early on in a batter’s innings.
“He has got quite a unique release point which can create a challenging angle and make it difficult for batters.
“It’s going to be a really exciting time for him this year and we’re going to learn a lot about him in how he handles it and adapts to professional cricket.
“He has been doing most of his training at Loughborough University, with Richo (Alan Richardson) and Kadeer (Ali) going up and having sessions with him and Rehaan (Edavalath).
“He currently looks in decent shape, fitter and stronger than last year but that will be an area for him to continue to work hard on too
“The same goes for his batting – he certainly has more than enough ability to contribute valuable runs, as we saw at Old Trafford last summer in the Metro Bank 50-over competition.”
