New cricket player Daniel Williams on his way to Weraroa from UK

Daniel Williams

Levin cricket club Weraroa will continue international relations with the recent announcement of another young Englishman to the club for the new season.

Fast bowler Daniel Williams will join Weraroa as a player and new Junior Development Coach and perform a range of coaching roles within the club over the summer. He is due to arrive in late September.

Last season Weraroa brought out young batsmen Henry Dobson from England, who proved a success on the field and also in training young players off the field.

Weraroa senior coach Paora O'Donnell said the arrival of Williams was a coup for the club, coming after a new coaching programme using the services of Neil Barnett, Jacob Oram and Gary Hermansen.

Barnett and Oram are top class skills coaches who worked with both senior and junior players, while Hermansen was a psychologist who had previously worked with the New Zealand Black Caps men's side.

O'Donnell said it was part of an concentrated effort by the club to develop a professional culture where young players had access to top line coaching.

"It's a credit to the club that they are able to provide access to this type of coaching, and it provides players with a real opportunity to reach their potential," he said.

Williams sent in a video with his application. He came with a strong cricket coaching CV, with an added bonus his ability to bowl sharply at 130km/h.

The 25-year-old was a Level 2 UK cricket coach and has a Bachelor of Science degree from Leeds Beckett University in Sports Coaching BSc, and had previously worked with the Cheshire Cricket Board as a contracted coach.

There he coached district and minor county teams and worked with regional schools and colleges.

As a player, he was known as a bowler and had played for the strong English cricket club Hyde CC since completing University. That Hyde side completed a double in winning its Premier League the last two seasons.