Leicestershire coach interested in signing Taylor again

Leicestershire coach Tim Boon says he would gladly sign Windies fast bowler Jerome Taylor again for three months and would recommend him to other county clubs following Taylor’s stint with the club during the England 2007 summer season as part of Digicel WICB Cricket Scholarship programme.{{more}}

Boon also strongly recommends more County club experience for Taylor at this stage of his career. Boon provided the WICB coaching staff a full report on tactical and technical recommendations to improve both Taylor’s batting and bowling.

“I was happy with Jerome’s performances, both with the bat and ball and his commitment on the field” says Tim Boon. “He was able to affect the course of games removing top order batsmen, and contributed with valuable runs in the lower middle order. I felt he improved all areas of his game.”

Boon adds that he was instantly impressed with Taylor’s attitude, self reliance and knowledge of what he needed to do in practice.

Despite dislocating a shoulder while batting against Somerset, Taylor quickly recovered and returned to the team as the number one bowler impressing the coach with outstanding performances.

“Jerome bowled superbly in the first innings against Middlesex, and would have made any international batsman struggle. His length was consistently hitting splice and swinging away with a quick ‘throat’ bouncer” adds Boon.

He stresses that “Jerome will need to continue to work hard both on his strength and endurance”, and adds “I would sign Jerome for three months in the future, given our needs, and would be happy to recommend him on”.

In conclusion, Coach Boon says he enjoyed having Jerome Taylor with the club for the summer season and was grateful to Digicel and the WICB for making the arrangement possible.

Windies fast bowler Jerome Taylor was the first recipient of the Digicel Cricket Scholarship, designed to give young players the opportunity to develop their skills and careers through playing competitive cricket abroad. Digicel facilitated Taylor’s placement at Leicestershire, covering salary and all other additional costs.

Jerome Taylor, 23, followed in the footsteps of West Indian pace legend and current selector Andy Roberts, opening batsman Phil Simmons and bowler Winston Benjamin, in joining the Leicestershire team at Grace Road. He is one of the most promising young cricketers in the region, and has played in 13 Tests and 35 ODIs for the regional side. Jerome was awarded Man of the Match in the recently concluded 2007 KFC Cup Final.

“The Digicel Cricket Scholarship represents a positive step in the right direction towards the development of our players”, said West Indian fast bowling legend Michael Holding when the programme was announced earlier this year. “Having played in English country cricket myself, I know first hand the benefits of what this experience can bring and look forward to seeing the fruits of Jerome’s development there.”