Young seamer George Weldon has returned to competitive cricket for the first time in 2023, having been out of action with an ankle injury.
After signing his first professional contract, the 19-year-old was hampered by a persistent ankle problem over the winter with the coaching staff completely reworking Weldon’s bowling action as a result.
In an attempt to put less stress on Weldon’s ankle, the coaching team sat down with the fast bowler to analyse where the problems were coming from and how they could improve. Bowling Coach Chris Liddle admitted the changes were needed.
“He’s had a lot of injuries for his age so we sat down with him and looked at changing the alignment of his feet and making sure he has a stronger base to bowl from.” Said Liddle.
After being taken out of all competitive cricket for six months, Liddle has praised the work the rookie has put in during the setback.
“He’s going really well, we’re very impressed with the work he’s put in and we’re very excited with the signs that he’s showing.
“Of course you want to impress straight away with the club but we had to reassure him that all the work was for the greater good for his condition.” He added.
Weldon made his return to competitive cricket in a four day match against Gloucestershire 2XI and the seamer made a positive impact, removing both openers in the first innings.
The youngster signed his first professional contract with Northamptonshire prior to the 2023 season after impressing in the 2XI over the course of the 2022 season and Liddle feels that Weldon can now make a positive impact for the club.
“We feel like we’ve got him in a place where his workloads are high, he’s ready to play cricket and he’s repeating those changes in a positive way.” Liddle said.
“We know he’s not the finished article but hopefully he’s got a really exciting back end of the summer where he can get some really good experience and get into a rhythm of how those movements should feel.”