THE conveyor belt of talented young cricketers coming through the ranks at Somerset shows no sign of letting up.

From current captain Tom Abell to England’s Craig Overton and Jack Leach, the academy system continues to bear fruit for the club and three more prospects are hoping to make an impact this summer.

Eddie Byrom forced his way into the side for the second half of last season’s County Championship campaign and scored his maiden First Class century in Zimbabwe over the winter, while Ben Green and Tom Lammonby are back from injuries and raring to go.

Green and Lammonby have had similar journeys thus far, coming through the Devon age groups - where the latter was spotted and invited to Somerset by Andy Hurry during his previous tenure - and representing Exeter CC.

Club cricket has been the ideal breeding ground for all three, with all-rounder Green carrying fond memories of his introduction to the men's game.

“My first game of senior cricket was aged 13 for Exeter 3rds and I got a hundred against Topsham St James at Bicton,” Green, now 20, said.

Incidentally, the identity of the opposition is no surprise and, sure enough, a quick check of the scorecard from that day reveals the presence of this Gazette correspondent in the Topsham side - it also goes some way to explaining why the cricketing paths of Green and I went in rather different directions (Green 109, Martin 0).

Green was in the Exeter 1st XI by the age of 14 and recalls: “It was invaluable facing Devon men’s players at that age. I remember playing Max Waller and I nearly got him out - I think he was dropped off me!”

Lammonby, 17, had a similar experience at Exeter having been introduced to the game by his dad, Glenn, who is still heavily involved with the club having arrived as an overseas player, met his partner and stayed there to this day.

“I was down there every Saturday as a kid and even at that level you end up idolising the players, so it was great to play alongside them before too long,” Lammonby said.

“It was daunting to play at that standard aged 14, but I've always loved a challenge.”

Byrom, meanwhile, was full of praise for Taunton St Andrews, who have taken him under their wing since he arrived from Zimbabwe to attend King’s College.

“When I got to age 15, with Zimbabwean cricket the way it was - not in a great state - I had an Irish passport which I knew I could use in England.

“It was definitely a good thing for me to be away from home as it made me grow up quickly. Saints have almost been my second family here, I’ve got some really good friends there who have looked after me from the get-go.

“It’s a really good team culture and I love playing for them when I can.”

The trio have each played overseas this winter; Byrom in Zimbabwe, Lammonby in South Africa with the England Under-19s and Green in Australia, playing grade cricket in Perth after a back injury plagued his 2017 summer.

“It [Australia] was amazing,” he said.

“Continuing to develop in match situations was invaluable - especially now as we haven’t had much pre-season action."

Green went on to explain how his stronger suit changes every year, though this winter has seen a particular focus on the bat with a possible new role in mind.

“My ideal situation is to be able to be selected for the first team with either bat or ball," he said.

"Batting middle order and bowling is where I would have seen myself last year, but this year the coaching staff think I’ve got the potential to open the batting.

“It’s about how I do and my own performance. I’m not going to take a spot from, say, Marcus Trescothick if I’m not scoring bucketloads of runs as he’s performed amazingly for Somerset since before I was born. It’s nice having the backing of the coaches but it’s down to me.”

The rapid rise of fellow Devonian Dom Bess, a regular teammate of Green's growing up, has shown the 20-year-old how quickly things can advance.

"I've played a lot of cricket with Dom, he's a great guy and I'm really happy that he's going so well," Green said.

"It's a high benchmark, but hopefully I can start to follow in his footsteps."

Green’s potential move to the top of the order could see him forming a partnership with Byrom in the years to come, with the Harare-born batsman relishing the opportunity he has been provided with.

“My debut was a pink ball game under the lights at Hampshire and I loved it,” the 20-year-old said.

“My first ball ever, from Kyle Abbott, went wide of second slip, which was quite weird, but I really enjoyed it and having Tres at the other end calmed me down.

“One of my strengths is mentally being able to bat for a long time, so now it’s about developing the technical side.

 “I’ve been really lucky to have Tres, Chris Rogers and Dean Elgar all here – as a young opening batsman there’s been no better place to be.”

Tapping into the experience in the dressing room is something Green is also making the most of.

“This week we were doing some horrible 90mph short stuff and I was in with Steve Davies,” he said.

“For the first five balls I was absolutely nowhere – I punched away all five – but he calmly said to me ‘you’ve got more time, just try and get in behind it and play straight’.

“Information from someone like that you take very seriously - I’ve learned not to be afraid to ask questions as we have a close bond in the dressing room and no-one is unapproachable.”

Refreshingly, given all three have grown up in an era dominated by T20, the trio are eager to play all forms of the game.

Left-handed all-rounder Lammonby “loves the mental challenge of four-day cricket”, while Byrom is looking to show his versatility in the shorter formats.

“I have an innovative game, if not a sloggers game,” he said.

“Ten years ago there was a niche for people who could smash the ball out the park, but now there are a lot of people who can do that so you need someone to tie it together.”

Lammonby has 50-over pedigree, having been named as man of the series for England Under-19s against India last summer and enjoyed a taste of playing at the County Ground.

“I used to turn up for training, look at the outfield and think ‘wouldn’t it be nice to play there’, so it was brilliant and the crowd were so supportive,” he said.

The 17-year-old was set to build on that promise at the Under-19 World Cup in January but broke a bone in his hand the day before England’s first game.

“It was frustrating, but you can’t dwell on it,” he said.

“My recovery has gone really well and I’m hoping to establish myself in the second XI this summer.

“On the way in to the changing room you see all the pictures of the academy lads who have made it. It motivates me and shows that, potentially, it’s not too far away.”