PROMISING Worcestershire paceman George Scrimshaw is making a good recovery from a serious back problem.

Scrimshaw was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his lower back after returning early from a Young Lions training camp in the UAE in December.

But scans have showed the fracture has healed and Scrimshaw has stepped up rehabilitation work in the gym and started bowling drills with a view to returning to action during the second half of the season.

It is encouraging news for Scrimshaw, who recently signed a new long-term contract with Worcestershire.

Worcestershire's head of sports science and medicine, Ben Davies, said: "George had a stress fracture in his lower back diagnosed in January when he got back from his Young Lions trip.

"But we had two scans recently, an MRI scan and CT scan up at Loughborough, that showed that stress fracture has healed which is really good news.

"He is now just starting to build some load with weights in the gym, medi-ball exercises, and is actually starting his bowling drills as well.

"He will undertake a gradual return to bowling over the next six weeks or so and we will be looking to get him back into second team cricket as soon as he can bowl four or five overs.

"It is looking a lot more positive prognosis than we originally thought.

"Because it has healed in good time, it means we can start to build him safely and he could have a good three months of cricket in the back half of the season."

Davies praised the hard work put in by Scrimshaw but said this was commonplace among any County player diagnosed with injury.

He said: "We've built our culture now over the last four or five years so, when someone gets told they've got an injury, it's not all doom and gloom and let's work hard to get back as soon as possible.'"