WORCESTERSHIRE coach Matt Mason is looking forward to helping coach England’s next generation of quick bowlers this winter via the ECB Pace Programme.

The former County player will assist one of his mentors in ECB lead fast bowling coach Kevin Shine at various camps including two weeks in Potchefstroom, South Africa, and Desert Springs, Spain.

Mason has helped produce a crop of promising pace men at New Road including Josh Tongue, George Scrimshaw, Pat Brown, Dillon Pennington and Adam Finch.

Tongue and Scrimshaw are among the bowlers selected in the programme.

Mason hopes the experience will aid him in his own development as a coach and provide him with additional knowledge he can impart to the County’s battery of bowlers.

There will be another Worcestershire connection as Ben Langley will be the physiotherapist.

Mason said: “I’ve done some work with Shiney in the past and it’s a really good opportunity to get into another environment, learn from other coaches and come into contact with bowlers who are seen as the next generation for England.

“I guess it’s nice to have a bit of recognition as well that my work with the bowlers here at Worcestershire has been noticed by people because I take a lot of pride in what I try to do here with the bowling group.

“To be asked to get involved with any sort of England programme is a really good opportunity and I’m looking forward to it.

“The whole programme runs over the winter months. There is stuff up at Loughborough before Christmas that I won’t be too heavily involved in, basically all the strengthening and conditioning work and the odd bit of testing here and there.

“Then there is a two-week tour to Potchefstroom (and Desert Springs) where we go out and have quite an intensive period working with the bowlers, strength training and craft work, technical work, all those sorts of things.

“Then it carries on right up to mid-March so it won’t interfere too much with my work at Worcestershire but there will be odd days and the time in South Africa that will take up the bulk of my time.

“As players you always aspire to work up as high as you can and as coaches it isn’t any different.

“These opportunities don’t always come along and it’s my first real opportunity to do something like this although I’ve done a bit of coaching in the past with the England women.

“I’m very passionate about fast bowling and that is what this programme is all about so not only will I have a very good time but I’m sure I’ll get some great information I can bring back to this club and potentially use with our own bowling group.

“It also helps me as a coach to develop because it is important as coaches we do that as much as players. I think I will come out of it having learnt a lot.”

Mason admits Shine has been a big influence on his coaching career.

He added: “I’m really looking forward to catching up with him again and I always enjoy my time with Shiney because he has been a mentor of mine ever since I started coaching.

“In 2008 when I went through my big shoulder operation it was Shiney who sowed the seeds in my mind about becoming a coach.

“He has always been on the end of the phone and when I see him at the grounds we always talk bowling and it will be great to work with him.”