KASEY Aldridge enjoyed his best ever season in 2023 during which he scored 451 runs in the county championship and claimed 16 wickets, as well as being a key part of the Somerset side that lifted the Vitality Blast Trophy, writes Richard Walsh.

Last week the 22 year old returned to Edgarley Hall (Millfield Prep School) to share some of his experiences and work with some of the talented young cricketers.

Kasey, who missed the final months of the season through injury has regularly been at the Cooper Associates County Ground since the end of the season working hard to get back to full fitness for when they rest of the locally based players return next week.

Kasey said: “I decided that I wanted to go back to where I started so I called Dave Beal the head of cricket at school and arranged to go into work with some of the boys. 

He added: “It was great to be able to go and give something back and meet up with the next generation of players. Dave Beal was my cricket coach when I was there and he and the school did so much to help me so I wanted to go and give something back.”

Dave Beal, who was a fast bowler and played for Somerset in 1991 before going into coaching said: “I’ve known Kasey since he started with us in year 3 and he played all of the sports that we had at school . He ended up  being first team captain in year 8 and went onto senior school. I also worked with him at county level and had him in my Somerset Under 15 squad.

“He is one of the best a great boy, absolutely unbelievable he really is. One thing that I will always remember about him is that on the day he was awarded his contract by the county he came into to tell me personally so that I knew  before it was officially announced, which meant a great deal to me.

Dave went on: “He was a very good bowler with great potential as a quick bowler, always a brilliant fielder which he is proving and always had potential as a batter and having worked with him on the technical side of things I’m really pleased his batting has taken off and he is making himself into genuine al rounder batting at number 7.”

He added: “ Kasey came into see what was coming through and try to give something back and pay his respects to where he came from. He worked with our Senior Development squad who are the Under 13 boys who are the potential first team squad for this coming summer.”