Hannon-Dalby on trial at Warwickshire

By Paul Bolton, County News Correspondent

Warwickshire are giving a trial to Yorkshire seam bowler Oliver Hannon-Dalby. The 23-year-old from Halifax has spent the past two weeks training with Warwickshire in the indoor centre at Edgbaston and is due to spend a further two weeks with them.

Hannon-Dalby played no County Championship cricket for Yorkshire last season and is training with Warwickshire with Yorkshire’s consent having been told that his first team opportunities are likely to be limited again if he decides to see out his contract at Headingley.

Warwickshire have yet to decide whether they will seek to add Hannon-Dalby to their staff but they are seeking to strengthen their seam department as they have four bowlers – Chris Woakes, Rikki Clarke, Boyd Rankin and Chris Wright – in various England squads at the moment.

“We have always said that is someone was to come on the market who had the potential to progress like Chris Wright then we would be interested,” said Dougie Brown, Warwickshire’s new director of cricket. “Oliver fits that profile because he has played first-class cricket, he’s young and he’s a little bit different to what we have got.

“We have four bowlers in the England system and we might find ourselves a little bit short in that area. At the moment we are just looking at Oliver. He’s worked well with Graeme Welch over the last two weeks and we are continuing to look at him.

“He is here with Yorkshire’s blessing but there is a chance that they might decide to take him on their pre-season tour so at the moment all we are doing is having a look at him.”

Warwickshire will take their academy wicketkeeper Pete McKay on their pre-season tour to Barbados next month. McKay, who plays for Walmley in the Birmingham & District Premier League, impressed Brown when he kept for Warwickshire’s second team last season and he will be given the chance to press his claims for a professional contract in Barbados.

Warwickshire are looking for a new reserve wicketkeeper to understudy Tim Ambrose following Richard Johnson’s departure to Derbyshire. They gave trials to Hong Kong-based Jamie Atkinson before Christmas but decided not to offer him a contract and have now decided to give a homegrown player the chance to impress.

Date: 01/02/2013 10:04:06 by Paul Bolton
In: Warwickshire | Today |