Friday, July 1st, 2022

TRIO OF ACADEMY PLAYERS SIGN ROOKIE CONTRACTS AT NEW ROAD

Three Worcestershire Academy members have signed their first professional contracts at New Road.

Keeper-batter Henry Cullen, all-rounder Rehaan Edavalath and batter Oli Cox have all put pen to paper on rookie contracts.

Cullen has agreed on a 15-month deal which comes into immediate effect, while Edavalath and Cox will begin 12-month deals from October 1, 2022.

The trio are all members of the Worcestershire Academy 2021-2022 intake.

Worcestershire Cricket Steering Group Chairman, Paul Pridgeon, confirmed the signings at Monday’s Members Forum in the Graeme Hick Pavilion.

Cullen showed his quality in batting all of the final day of the recent Second Eleven Championship match with Leicestershire at Barnt Green making 77 not out.

Edavalath scored his maiden Seconds century this summer when he struck 134 not out versus the South Asian Cricket Academy.

Cox top-scored on his Seconds debut last summer with 41 against Leicestershire at Stourport and regularly appeared in Seconds T20 cricket this summer.

The trio play Birmingham and District Premier League cricket for Kenilworth Wardens, Barnards Green and Himley, respectively.

Pridgeon said: “Good news is that over the last couple of days, we have agreed to sign three young players from our Academy who will join us on rookie contracts.

“They are talented individuals, and they are going to be very good players in the future. We are really confident about that.

“One is a wicket-keeper batter who hits the ball quite a long way, another is a batter who will be capable of playing white ball and red ball and the other is a genuine all-rounder who bowls off-spin and bats.