HEAD coach Kevin Sharp says it is important for relegated Worcestershire to get the right balance of experienced players and continue to develop their own crop of exciting young talent.

Sharp emphasised the desire to keep the current squad together and eventually become an established top-half-of-the-table side in Division One of the Specsavers County Championship.

Although Joe Clarke is departing to Nottinghamshire, the County have signed Callum Ferguson for the 2019 season and Wayne Parnell on a three-year contract as a Kolpak player.

Sharp said: “We are looking to keep the squad together. I know that Joe is leaving but we have got some good lads and are always looking at recruitment as well.

“The club’s ambition is to get into the top half of the Championship and stay there and, yes, obviously you always want to win a one-day trophy.

“It is for us to assemble a squad together that is able to cope with that on a regular basis."

On potential new signings, Sharp continued: "We are going through that process now. It is not for me to say at the minute.

“We’ve lost Joe and have got to consider what happens in that respect, if we need to bring someone else in.

“But we have Callum coming back and have signed Wayne as a Kolpak.

“We’ve got some experience coming in there and we’ve still got that process of bringing on the young players here and giving them opportunities.

“So we’ve just got to get the balance right but as far as bringing anyone else in at the moment I’m not quite sure if that will happen or not.”