A Tall Story - Hampshire Eye Strapping Quick

The county already boast three of the country's most highly rated pace bowlers in the form of Sonny Baker, Eddie Jack and Manny Lumsden.

But with plenty of pace options coming through the Hampshire pathway programme they've made a move for a bowler who has worked extensively with the coach who has helped to hone Baker's considerable skills.

Jacob Stevenson has been a regular for Hampshire's Second XI in recent weeks.

And the Hawk understands that the former Gloucestershire age group player - a strapping 6'4" bowler who has already hit 85mph plus on the speed gun - is set to be handed a deal with the county.

Shahbaz Choudhry is the founder of Speedcamp, and a man who has worked extensively with a long list of Hampshire cricketers including Baker and Academy prospects Peter Nedeljkovic and Ibrahim Zafar.

He tells the Hawk that Stevenson - who has played Second XI cricket for both Hampshire and Gloucestershire this summer - is a potential gem.

"The last 12 months have been really significant (in his development)," says Choudhry.

"He's from Bristol originally, came up through the Gloucester pathway, then fell out of it at 15 or 16.

"After that he was just playing club cricket, played a bit on London Schools, but wasn't really getting anywhere.

"I saw him about 12 months ago and he said to me, look, I feel like I've got more to offer, I just don't know how long I've got left to get it out of me.

"Our framework is always the same to begin with - we just want to establish the starting point.

"I told him 'pick the ball up, run in, bowl as fast as you can, let's see where you're at'.

"He was 70 to 72 (mph) on the gun.

"Then we did all the background work we do, which essentially looks for leaks in the chain - where the energy's being lost through the action.

"With Jacob there were a lot of leaks, and the training is essentially about closing those down."

Choudhry says Stevenson is now consistently hitting mid-80mph, which places him in exclusive company in domestic cricket.

Hampshire have every reason to be thankful for Choudhry's coaching skills.

"In the academy you've got Ibrahim Zafar and Peter Nedeljkovic - two lads I've worked closely with for a long time," he says.

"Further down the pathway there's a lot more. One of the big success stories has been Abdul Rahman, who took 8 wickets against Middlesex in the age-groups (Hampshire under-16s) recently, I've been training him since he was 11.

“The environment at Hampshire and collaboration with Charlie Freestone, James Tomlinson and Shane Burger have been a breath of fresh air.

"I can confidently say that the future of fast bowling at Hampshire over the coming years is very exciting - something to look out for."

In an up and down season, the bowling of Baker across all formats has been an undoubted highlight.

And Choudhry sees parallels between the former Somerset bowler - a player he has worked extensively with - and Hampshire's potential new arrival.

"I haven't met many people as professional and ambitious as Sonny - but I'd say Jacob is definitely one of the closest," he says.

The Hawk understands that a number of counties were monitoring Stevenson this summer.

Hampshire, though, look set to seal his signature.