WORCESTERSHIRE have finalised their 2017-2018 academy intake with four newcomers.

Leg-spinner Josh Dickenson, wicketkeeper-batsman Henry Cullen, slow left armer-batsman Peter Clark and opener Callum Lea will be part of the full academy for the first time over the next 12 months.

Dickenson, who plays Birmingham League cricket for Barnards Green, is starting his second year at Malvern College who have strong links with the County.

Barnt Green player Cullen is highly rated by director of cricket Steve Rhodes and batting coach Kevin Sharp.

Clark, from the Shropshire satellite academy programme, was in the Midlands squad at the Bunbury Festival during the summer.

Lea, who plays for Himley, scored a double hundred for Worcestershire under 17s in the Championship against Hampshire at Basingstoke.

The quartet join Jack Haynes, Adam Finch, Matt Davis, Xavier Clarke, Zain Ul Hassan and Dillon Pennington who are returning for a further year in the academy.

Coach Elliot Wilson and colleagues will put the new influx and remaining members through their paces during the winter.

Next season they can expect to play age-group, development and academy cricket with the aim of eventually graduating into the second XI.

Wilson said: “It is an exciting group. All of them have done good things during 2017 and the lads who have been brought on we feel can add value in terms of what they are going to bring to the programme.

“We have retained six lads for another year. They have all featured in various programmes and five have played in second-team cricket this year — Jack, Adam, Matt, Zain and Dillon.

“They have all shown great development and we are excited about all six in terms of where they might all go.

“Jack, Adam and Dillon have had some real progress during the year with Adam and Dillon’s ultimate selection into the Young Lions and hopefully the Under 19 World Cup in the new year.

“Zain has impressed a lot of people with what he did when he came in and out of the second team during the summer.”

Four players from the 2016-2017 intake are not part of the new group but three will still have a heavy involvement with the County.

Wilson explained: “Josh Dell and Zen Malik were named on the academy last year but then spent the year with the professionals.

“We are hopeful they will do that again next summer, playing a lot of second XI cricket and pushing for a first-team contract.

“Dillon has taken up the offer of a University of Worcester scholarship and will be away with the Young Lions-England Under-19s over the winter.

“Josh Haynes has gone off to Leeds University to study economics.”

Worcestershire have named a 13-strong emerging player programme squad for 2017-2018.

They are Dan Holland, Alex Hinkley, Rehaan Edavaleth, Aaron Tomson, Mitchell Stanley, Lewis Evans, Oliver Walker, Oliver Halion, Josh Basker, Luke Tulacz, Zak Abbass, Alex Jordan and Harry Cooke.