New Road Academy coach Elliot Wilson has hailed the "great traditional link" between Worcestershire CCC and Shropshire – and the aim for it to continue and go from strength to strength in the years to come.
Four members of Worcestershire's current first team squad in Joe Clarke, Ed Barnard, Joe Leach and Jack Shantry came through the ranks via Shropshire and the Worcestershire pathway.
There is already a strong link via former Worcestershire paceman Paul Pridgeon who is cricket professional at Shrewsbury School and also runs the county's satellite academy in Shropshire.
But the relationship between the two counties was formally cemented 12 months ago via a partnership involving Worcestershire CCC, Worcestershire Cricket Board and Shropshire Cricket Board.
Wilson said: "This time last year we signed a partnership with Shropshire Cricket Board, Worcestershire Cricket Board and Worcestershire County Cricket Club.
"It basically is two things in 1) Shropshire Cricket Club and Shropshire Cricket Board benefit from access to tickets for matches and the benefits of Worcestershire County Cricket Club.
"But also 2) to signpost Shropshire's talented players into Worcestershire's pathway.
"We are really pleased from a performance perspective that their best players can get supported through our programmes and get signposted to us.
"There is a great traditional link between Shropshire Cricket and Worcestershire Cricket with Pridge (Paul Pridgeon) up at Shrewsbury School doing a load of work, and working on our behalf on one of our satellite academys.
"With Joe Clarke, Ed Barnard, Joe Leach, Jack Shantry all being Shropshire boys, there is a traditional link there.
"We are overjoyed with what has come out of Shropshire in the last 10 years and long may that continue.
"We will do anything we can to help not just the talented players but the entire player pathway up at Shropshire and the clubs that are involved in it.
"We were keen to formulise that link and we did that last year and on the back of that, Shropshire's clubs, Shropshire's members, Shropshire's cricket family also will benefit and be signposted to a number of initiatives – reduced membership, tickets for games here at New Road – which mean they benefit from the agreement."
