ANOTHER young Worcestershire quartet will reap the benefits of financial support from the Brian Johnston Memorial Trust in 2019.

Ollie Halion, Ollie Walker, Reeve Evitts and Seb Smith are to receive scholarships following successful applications submitted by the County to the trust which was started in memory of the popular broadcaster.

They follow the support given to Zain Ul-Hassan, Riecko Parker-Cole and Mitchell Stanley in 2018, Josh Dell, Zen Malik, Dillon Pennington and Alex Milton in 2017 and Ollie Westbury, Ryan Wheldon and Emily Arlott in 2016.

The scholarship will help fund travelling costs to coaching sessions and matches at Blackfinch New Road and Malvern College during the summer and winter as well as the cost of equipment.

County academy coach Elliot Wilson said: “This support is always greatly appreciated and an invaluable assistance to the players involved as it has been in the previous years.

“We submitted application forms for four lads mainly because they have to travel some distances to be involved in the programme.

“It will help them with their costs for travelling, cricket equipment, participation in Worcestershire activities and matches, etc, over the season ahead.

“Ollie Halion is a batter who bowls some medium pace and has been with the pathway from a very early age.

"He was under nines when he got into our under 11s for the first time and has always been a skilful young man.

“He joined our emerging players programme and sub-academy programmes this year and spent the winter training with the full academy on Monday, Thursday and Sunday and has really benefited from that.

“He is based in Malvern, had played for Malvern Ramblers but now plays for Barnards Green and made his first-team debut on Saturday.

“Ollie Walker has already had a bit of publicity this summer for his performance against Yorkshire academy when he scored 110 not out as a 14-year-old against an older and strong side.

“He scored a similar amount of runs as Jack Haynes did at a similar age. He lives up at Beacon and has been training with us for a number of years and comes down two or three times a week.

“He is a top-order batsman but also bowls some seam up.

“Reeve is on the full academy, based in Burton and plays for the same club side as George Scrimshaw — Dunstall — and again is making a huge effort to commit to our programme by travelling significant distances.

“He comes down one night a week and all day Sunday and loves it.

"He is a proper all-rounder and at this stage we are not sure whether he will be a batsman who bowls or a bowler who bats but he came to prominence for his fast bowling and is an exciting cricketer.

“Seb, a lad from Stoke's Hartshill Cricket Club, has come down all winter on a Thursday night and all day Sunday without any complaints and with a smile on his face.

“He is a left-arm spinner who naturally bowls it quite well and we will see how he goes over the next couple of weeks.”