SPIN bowler Taylor Pugh has snapped up 51 wickets for Pershore in their promotion-winning season from Worcestershire League Division One.

The 18-year-old left-armer from Worcester has been a revelation since joining Pershore from higher-graded Brockhampton three matches into the campaign.

Pugh took 6-18 against Bewdley as Pershore sealed their championship success with a four-wicket triumph in a low-scoring clash.

His match-winning efforts have earned him the Worcester News player of the week award and a £25 Fearnley Factory Shop voucher.

The former Bishop Perowne College pupil will soon be travelling to Australia to spend the winter playing cricket for Hampton Central in Melbourne.

Pershore captain Chris Ridings said: “It has been a memorable season for us because our three sides have all won their divisions, which is a very proud achievement for the club.

“Taylor has taken 50-plus wickets this season in our first team but, as a bowling unit, Lee Wilks and Luke Dalley have also been superb, conceding just three runs an over.

“Having Taylor has been a match made in heaven for us and he actually missed our first two games. When we’ve needed a wicket badly, he’s taken one for us.

“This is the third time we have won Worcestershire League Division One and we are hoping we can stay in Birmingham League Division Three a bit longer.

“We have only been a one-season club in the higher division but I think we have a better balance now in terms of age and experience.”

Pugh’s 51 league wickets have come at an average of 9.80 and he boasts a strike- rate of 18.55 with best figures of 6-6.

He started the campaign with Herefordshire club Brockhampton in the Birmingham League Premier Division but played only three matches.

“I had a couple of games with Herefordshire under 17s and a lot of the lads played at Brockhampton,” he explained.

“But I didn’t enjoy it at Brockhampton as much as I thought I would because the lads I knew were in the second team.

“The league rules say you can only play for one Birmingham League club in the same season so I signed for Pershore. The move to Pershore has done me good and I think it has progressed my cricket.”

Pugh has previously played for Worcester’s Old Elizabethans in the Birmingham League and represented Herefordshire County Cricket Club at first and second team levels.

“I started the season with a flourish and took three or four five-wicket hauls for Pershore but I missed a game when I was away on holiday and it seemed to affect my rhythm,” he said.

“Because of the wet weather, the pitch was a bit damp when we played Bewdley and teams in the Worcestershire League don’t seem to play spinners as well as pace bowlers. I was delighted to get six wickets.”

In addition to Pugh’s wickets, Adam Wiffen has totalled 645 league runs this season with Liam Ridings hitting 563 and Chris Ayliffe 513.

Their youngest player, 15-year-old Charlie Cross, has taken 14 wickets