Worcestershire Under-17s continue their ECB County Championship Group 4A programme when they take on Hampshire Under-17s in a three-day game at Basingstoke beginning tomorrow (Monday).
The County have shared the spoils in their opening two games.
They had the better of the opening game with Gloucestershire at Gloucester and then fought back after being forced to follow on against Devon at Stourport thanks largely to a superb 159 from Jujhar Johal.
Zain Ul-Hassan will again captain the side with Ben Fitzmaurice keeping wicket while Ryan Wheldon has come into the side as an extra bowler in place of Kris Green.
Academy coach Elliot Wilson was delighted with the way the Under-17s battled back against Devon.
He said: "We were really good on the second evening and third morning. We played magnificent. Callum (Lea), Jujhar, all the other guys that chipped in as we've gone on.
"We always talk about batters getting big runs and Jujhar Johal, from Bromsgrove School and plays for Stourbridge now having previously been at Halesowen, played properly.
"I spoke to him the night before when he was on 95 not out overnight and said 'don't you dare get 102 and then be sat back down again.'
"I said 'you set yourself out to still be batting at lunch on the final day' and he batted through to just before that and we batted really well (as a team).
"We were disappointing at the end of the first day in terms of how we batted but I thought we bowled quite nicely and then we played so well second time around that we were able to set a game up.
"We set them 265 in 40 overs and we got six down and weren't a million miles away."
Worcestershire are currently lying fourth in the five team-table but they do have a game in hand on the current top two – Somerset and Devon.
Wilson said: "We got blown away by Hampshire in the one-day game but hopefully in the three-day game, we can get our own back."
Play will get underway on the opening day at 12 noon.
WORCESTERSHIRE UNDER-17S:
CALLUM LEA
MAHAAZ AHMED
ZAIN UL HASSAN (c)
XAVIER CLARKE
CHAD BRANDRICK
PETE CLARK
BILLY COX
MATT DAVIS
BEN FITZMAURICE (w)
CHARLIE CROSS
——
CURRENT TABLE
Somerset Played 3, Won 1, Lost 0, Drawn 2, Bat 10, Bowl 11, Points 47
Devon 3, 0, 0, 3, 11, 12, 38
Hants 2, 0, 0, 2, 2, 8, 20
WORCS 2, 0, 0, 2, 3, 8, 19
Gloucs 2, 0, 1, 1, 5, 8, 18
*Worcs 2 points deducted
