SOMERSET County Cricket Club have snapped up a promising wicketkeeper-batsman, with 17-year-old Ben Wells signing a contract to join their Academy.

Hailing from Bath, Wells plays for his hometown club - the reigning West of England Premier League champions - and attends Monkton Combe School.

Wells said: "I’m really excited and very pleased to be joining the Somerset Academy.

"It’s a great opportunity for me to spend a lot more time training and being able to focus on my game."

He is also looking forward to learning from the example of Somerset legend Marcus Trescothick.

"Seeing people like Marcus is really good," he said.

"It gives you somebody to look up to and aspire to, especially when you see the way that he trains and what he has achieved.

"Just watching him go about his routines makes you realize exactly what you have to do if you want to try to be like that."

And Wells is clearly aspiring to make it to the top, as he added: "Hopefully [in 2018] I will get to play some games for Somerset Second XI and put in a few performances.

"Then we’ll see how it goes. My dream is to play for Somerset and then one day for England."