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England recognition for Academy players

7 August 2013

Owen Dawkins has spoken of his delight at the continuing success of Gloucestershire’s Academy after two more youngsters were selected for England recognition.

Bowler, Marc Lezar and Joe Barrett have been selected for the England Under-17s development side to play Bangladesh Under-17s in a two-day match  at Loughborough this weekend.

Lezar, who was born in South Africa, has been playing West of England Premier League cricket for Thornbury this summer, while Barrett made 37 in a Second XI game against Middlesex last week and also made a half-century playing Minor Counties cricket for Oxfordshire on Tuesday.

Their success follows the International recognition given to off-spinner Miles Hammond,  who is  playing for England Under-19s in a triangular series against their counterparts from Pakistan and Bangladesh this week, and to Kieran Smith, who played for England Under-17s last week.

Hammond, of course, has already made several first-team appearances this season and fellow Academy product Tom Shrewsbury made his senior bow in last week’s County Championship game against Northamptonshire.

Academy Director Dawkins said: “The Academy lads are going very well and there’s been a pretty consistent line of players going through to the first team in recent years.

“We’ve had guys like Chris Dent, David Payne, Jack Taylor and Liam Norwell establishing themselves in the first-team squad and it’s great to see others following them.”

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