Lawson continues development in Australia

Mark Lawson will be travelling to Australia

Yorkshire's Mark Lawson, who was the first student from the ECB Wrist Spin Development Programme to reach first-class cricket, is to be sent to Australia for three months before Christmas to further his cricketing career.

He will train under the eye of Terry Jenner, the former Australian Test player and coach to Shane Warne, and play cricket for Adelaide Cricket Club, but whilst Lawson may be the leading student in the programme, other young leg spinners also made major progress this season.

Adil Rashid has played for Yorkshire 2nd XI and England Under 17's, Michael Munday has played for Oxford UCCE, Somerset 2nd XI and, most recently, England Under 19's in the Test series against Bangladesh, while Barghav Modha is a member of the Leicestershire Academy and has represented ECB Schools.

Terry Jenner and his young leg spinners

In addition to Lawson, two other young leg spinners have been picked to spend two weeks training in October in Adelaide with Jenner: Patrick Turk, a 19-year-old currently playing for Surrey Under 19's, and Theo Brookes, 18 years old and part of the Northamptonshire Academy.

They have emerged from this year’s wrist spin programme, again led by Jenner, which reached out to around 200 young spinners throughout England and Wales.

The programme culminated with 20 boys aged 13-19 attending a special wrist spin training camp at Taunton in early August, where they received specialist coaching from Jenner, Mushtaq Mohammed and also Warne, who was in Taunton with Hampshire CCC.

Patrick Turk and Theo Brookes

David Parsons, ECB National Coach who is responsible for the wrist spin development programme, said: “We are delighted with the progress made by these players but particularly pleased that Mark is able to continue his education in Australia this winter.

"This initiative would not have happened without the support of the Brian Johnston Memorial Trust, whose support of the programme over the years has been hugely beneficial.

Jenner passes on his knowledge

“The ECB’s Wrist Spin Development Programme was set up in 1999. Our target is to develop a wrist spin bowler for the England team by 2007, and for at least half of the 18 first-class counties to have a contracted wrist spinner by the same year.”

Mark Williams, chief executive of The Brian Johnston Memorial Trust, commented: “Sending a wrist spinner to Adelaide for three months to work under Terry Jenner’s expert guidance is a step forward for our annual investment of £15,000 in this programme.

"Mark Lawson bowled well in the current Under-19 international against Bangladesh and we look forward to tracking his progress over the winter and next summer.”