I thought that could be it after being hit for 19 in my first over

Seamer George Scrimshaw, 19, feared his run in the Worcestershire first team was going to be over before it had even began when he endured a disastrous opening over this summer.

Charging in with a new white ball in hand, he saw two of his first three balls fly to the boundary before Richard Levi got off strike with a three.

Having conceded 11 off four balls, there was no letup for Scrimshaw on his debut as Levi’s fellow opener Adam Rossington smashed eight off the final two deliveries.

With figures of 0-19 from his single over, Scrimshaw was pulled out of the Rapids attack and didn’t return. Northants won by 24 runs.

Despite the chastening experience, Scrimshaw would feature in three more T20 Blast fixtures.

The youngster admits it was a steep learning curve and he feared the worst after that disastrous start.

“I didn’t have the best of debuts but it was really good to be a part of (the first team) and play in four games and get some wickets,” he said.

“I was bowling to Richard Levi and Adam Rossington and they know how to hit it out the park, my plan was to bowl as straight as possible on a good length but I was a bit wide and they cashed in.

“I ran back to my mark and tried to forget each ball but it was frustrating. I thought I may not play another game but, thankfully, I did.”

Despite his tricky start, Scrimshaw was given more game-time by Worcestershire and his coaches at the club are not the only ones to see something special in the young bowler.

He will be part of the ECB Pace Programme this winter with a period of strength training preChristmas before bowling camps in Spain and South Africa in the New Year.

Although back injuries have hampered his progress, Scrimshaw has been working hard this autumn to return to fitness before the trips abroad.

And Scrimshaw, who was called up to the England U19s this summer only to miss out with an infected toe, is determined to use the programme to put on an extra yard of pace to give himself an additional weapon for the 2018 season.

“I am really excited to start,” he added. “Hopefully I gain pace overall and get stronger over the winter and going away is something I have been looking forward to – getting out in the sun.

“It will be good to gain tips from other bowlers and learn from their past experiences, me being a young bowler it is good to know what they have been through.

“I think Jamie Overton is coming back from an injury and Reece Topley as well so it will be good to see what they do.

“I have been clocked at 85mph last October and with the pace programme I can get clocked again and make sure I put on a few yards and get up towards the 90mph mark.

“It’s the difference between two yards of pace, batsmen don’t have as much time to think how to react, if you are slower they can line you up a lot easier.”