Worcestershire CCC's players report back today for winter training (Monday) with two new faces as part of the squad.
Spinner Ben Twohig and paceman Josh Tongue are starting their first full-time professional contracts with the County.
The pair had previously been members of the Worcestershire Academy intake for the 2014-2015 campaign.
Worcestershire Academy Coach Elliot Wilson said: "It will be a huge learning curve for them. They are going to have great fun doing it. They are good kids, they are young and they will be hit with a cricket bat between the eyes come November 1 when they start full-time with us.
"They will work with Ross Dewar (fitness and conditioning coach) and have six weeks of hell before Christmas! They will need to be quite strong because they are going to have to bounce back every morning.
"It will be a shock to them in general, the life of a professional cricketer. It's what they've always worked towards but now the reality of it can sometimes not be as glamorous especially for the boys stuck in England compared to the boys overseas who do the work.
"Swanning around at Malvern College at seven o'clock on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday morning, most of the lads can think of a better thing to be doing at seven o'clock in the morning!
"It should be a real challenge for them but they are good kids and really well supported by Ross and Ben Davies (first team physio) and the coaching teams."
Twohig and Tongue both broke into the Second Eleven last season as well as being recognised by the England Development Programme.
Wilson said: "Ben has been thought of as a high potential good cricketer for a long time. He gets the head-lines because of his presence as an individual. He is just a character, he's got something about him.
"He can obviously play the game of cricket as well, he can bat, he can bowl, he can field.
"Ben is quite a street-wise cricketer, typical Yorkshire lad who knows the game, been brought up around the game from a very early age and he has just got a feel for the game."
Bowling coach Matt Mason is excited about the potential of Tongue who is also a capable lower order batsman.
Wilson said: "He is exciting. Mase and myself looked at the characteristics for what would be an exciting good fast bowler, things like pace, bounce, control, sideways movement, to get the ball to swing or nibble around, and naturally Josh has got a lot of those characteristics.
"He is tall, he gets bounce, he gets the ball to swing, he has got good pace which is only going to get better as he gets stronger and he puts the ball in good areas on a consistent basis.
"He is really quite exciting and I wish all the best. I'm sure he will have a great experience and Josh is someone who loves playing and being involved in the game of cricket.
"He can bat as well. He got 150 for Barnards Green in the Birmingham League. He is not just a nasty fast bowler and hopefully in the long run he is going to be able to score runs from the middle-lower order and contribute and I'm sure that's what he will be aspiring to as well."
