Matthew Taylor
Swardeston’s teenage leg-spinner Matthew Taylor has become the latest Norfolk youngster to be offered a place at a first class county academy.
The 15-year-old Wymondham College student has been accepted into Northamptonshire’s youth set-up after impressing at their centre of excellence sessions.
“He’s absolutely delighted,” said his father, Neil, who is also the Norfolk Youth Cricket chairman. “There are three other Norfolk boys at Northants – Olly Stone, Ryan Findlay and Rob Newton – and he’s looking forward to following in their footsteps.”
Taylor has been working closely with Norfolk player/coach Chris Brown on the Emerging Players programme and Brown said: “He’s been on the programme for the past three years and this winter in particular he has shown massive improvement, not only with his leg spin but his batting and fielding as well.
“For someone of his age he bowls with quite a natural pace on the ball – a lot of young spinners tend to give the ball quite a loop, but Matthew bowls with a good weight on the ball and he has always done that, so he’s quite unorthodox in that respect.
“If he keeps progressing like he is at the moment, he’s got a very bright future.”
Callum Taylor
Taylor, along with Swardeston clubmate Callum Taylor, has also got through the first round of trials for the London & east region Under-15 side.
Both Taylors – they are not related – have made it through to the final 24, from which a squad of 16 will be selected to play at the Bunbury U15s Cricket Festival against other regions. The Bunbury event is used to select players for the ECB’s national development programme.
Newton, also a Swardeston player, and Stone, of Vauxhall Mallards, have both played for the Northants first team, while other players with Norfolk connections are making an impression at Essex.
