LIAM Paddock, a pupil at the Chase High School and captain of Barnards Green U13s team has been captain of Worcestershire U13s cricket team for the season.

Liam, from Malvern, broke into the county side at U11s level, as a squad member, consolidating his place at U12s last season when he was a regular in the side.

In March this year he was part of a 14 man squad that took part in an international festival in Johannesburg, South Africa, that saw the county U13s side playing teams from South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.

Liam was one of the success stories of the tour and he was delighted to be asked to captain the side for the season.

"It's a great honour to be asked to play for the county so being asked to captain the team was very special," he said.

Liam took up cricket at the age of eight joining Barnards Green CC and attending the regular Wednesday evening club nights for youngsters. As well as captaining the U13s side he plays for older age group junior teams and at weekends, for senior sides for the Green. He is first and foremost an excellent swing bowler but his batting has come on in the past couple of years as his current county average of more than 50 testifies.

Last week Liam captained the Worcestershire U13s side that took part in a week long cricket festival at Kings School, Taunton.

They won their first three matches against Lancashire, Oxfordshire and Cornwall, before losing to a strong Sussex side. The final game of the tournament, against a team from Holland, was rained off, frustrating the team's very real opportunity to win the tournament.

Liam played in three of the matches scoring 59 against Lancashire, 68 against Cornwall and 58 against Sussex as well as bowling tidily in each match.