Elite cricket Development Manager Paul Greetham was encouraged to see Rob Yates, Dan Mousley, George Garrett and Ethan Brookes make their first-class bows for the Bears in 2019.
Paul Greetham believes it is “encouraging” that four graduates of the club’s player pathway made their first-class debut for Warwickshire this year – but has challenged the quartet to back that up by becoming regular members of the first-team squad.
Elite Cricket Development Manager Greetham was delighted to see Rob Yates, Dan Mousley, George Garrett and Ethan Brookes make their first-class bows for the Bears in 2019.
Our objective for the player pathway is to produce players who become consistent performers for the first-team and go on to win their county, and potentially, international caps.
Paul Greetham
Yates went on to play 12 Specsavers County Championship games, scoring 570 runs with a composure and technique that showed he was unfazed by the step up. Eighteen-year-olds Mousley and Brookes each made a single appearance, ahead of schedule due to injuries around the squad and did not look out of place. George Garrett, having impressed in the 2nd XI, came in for three games late on and took important wickets, including four in the win at Nottinghamshire. He also showed his batting skills in a tenth-wicket stand of 46 with Jeetan Patel against champions-elect Essex.
In an injury-plagued season for the club, the emergence of these home-grown younger players, with Henry Brookes, Liam Banks, Matt Lamb and Ed Pollock already established in the senior squads, augurs well for the future.
“It was encouraging to see the four young guys go into Division One championship cricket and handle it so well,” said Greetham.
“Rob did brilliantly – I couldn’t be prouder of him. Throughout the pathway, every time he has taken a step up he has shown the tools and temperament to handle it and he did so again. He is totally unflappable and carries himself in the same manner in all environments. Now he just needs to keep setting his sights higher and higher and let’s we what he can achieve in the game.
“George got better and better as the season went on. Back in April, I thought this year was perhaps too soon for him for the first-team but he forced his way through. He found extra pace and started to find first-class lengths and, when he made the step up, threatened batsmen and picked up useful wickets.
“It was great to see Dan and Ethan make their debuts as well. They are very interesting prospects. No-one has ever been prouder to play for Warwickshire than Dan, which is lovely to see. He has such a passion for Warwickshire cricket – he lives and breathes it.
“He didn’t score many runs but went in against the likes of Peter Siddle and Simon Harmer and wasn’t fazed. He is a real talent with the bat, is a very good fielder and I think there is a lot more to come from his off-spin.
“Ethan is also a very talented all-rounder. He can affect games in all three departments and it would be great now to see his batting kick on in order to score big regularly. He is a very skilful bowler and has the makings of an exceptional batting all-rounder.
“The challenge now for these guys is to build on what they achieved this year. Our objective for the player pathway is to produce players who become consistent performers for the first-team and go on to win their county, and potentially, international caps. The number of home-grown players doing that is still relatively low so there is work to do, but the progress these guys are making is encouraging.”
