WORCESTERSHIRE second XI coach Kevin Sharp admits seeing players progressing into the first team set-up gives him "his biggest buzz."

Sharp, who is also the County's batting coach, has overseen the elevation of Brett D'Oliveira, Joe Clarke and Ed Barnard into the senior set-up during the last 12 months and become regular players.

Others such as Alex Hepburn and Josh Tongue have also had a taste of the big stage.

Now second XI captain George Rhodes has played his first games at that level with appearances in the Royal London One-Day Cup against Yorkshire at Headingley and Northamptonshire in the NatWest T20 Blast.

Sharp said: "The second XI is the platform for first-team cricket and to see any of these lads going through and performing well is music to my ears.

"It gives me my biggest kick. I enjoy the second-team role and the fact you get to work with the academy, coming through into seconds and then lads going from the seconds into the first team.

"When the lads go through and do well, that is the biggest buzz of all."

The likes of Ollie Westbury, Ben Twohig, Zen Malik and Tongue, who made his first-team debut against Oxford MCCU in April, are among those promising players playing their trade with the seconds.

Sharp said: "I want these young lads coming through to be pushing these lads who have just gone in (the first team).

"Ours is not the biggest squad in the country and there are opportunities here.

"If you get an injury or two or someone gets rested in the first team,there are slots available there for those who are performing and that is not the case in a lot of counties.

"That should be very motivational for these lads underneath.

"The key thing is to make sure there is always somebody pushing for a first-team place although a lot of the lads who have played second-team cricket over the past year or two are becoming pretty established first-team cricketers now."