Two blossoming Huntingdonshire talents are set for winter training at a first-class county.

All-rounders Adelaide Walkling (an Under 16 player from Eaton Socon) and Katherine Speed (an Under 14 prospect from Houghton & Wyton) have secured places on the Essex CCC Women’s and Girls Emerging Player Programme.

It involves twice-weekly training sessions with Essex coaches for the two players who have also taken part in England Women’s Development Programme summer camps.

Another bright prospect from Houghton & Wyton, Isobell Hall, will also be attending development sessions at Essex in the coming weeks.

Hall, an Under 14 player who is a capable bat and bowls leg spin, is a newcomer to the Hunts Cricket Board’s Emerging Player Programme (EPP).

Godmanchester youngster James Dean is also new to the EPP and will attend weekly development sessions at Essex and Fenners in Cambridge.

Under 15 player Dean is a capable seam bowler who can also bat.

Two other local lads in the Under 12 age group – Olly Jefferies of Godmanchester and Ben Saunders (Ramsey) - will be involved in development sessions at Northamptonshire CCC.

Hunts Cricket Board performance manager Dave Summers said: “We wish all our young players the very best as they begin their various winter training sessions and we also thank their local clubs for their continued support.

“It is particularly pleasing that the time is now right for Adelaide and Katherine to move on to new challenges with Essex and we will be watching their progress with interest.”

The EPP is a national initiative run by each of the 39 cricket boards in the country to support the development of young cricketers with the potential to move onto academies at first-class counties.