HAMPSHIRE Academy coach Tony Middleton believes David Griffiths will be in contention for a first team place at the end of next season.

Fast bowler Griffiths made his debut for England Under-19s in the summer and Middleton reckons the 19-year-old could make his first class bow while still in his teens.

Middleton said: "We've got quite a big staff at the moment and opportunities are going to be limited, but I would hope that, by the end of next season, he might be pushing his way in.

"He's someone we don't want to rush because of the nature of what he does.

"The physical demands of fast bowling on a 19-year-old body are huge but, if he keeps developing, he has the potential to play at the highest level."

Middleton has known Griffiths since he was an 11-year-old.

He added: "David's come through the academy from an early age and is based at Shanklin cricket Club on the Isle of Wight.

"He's a very talented cricketer with the bat and the ball but he's mainly a bowler - and he's got the potential to be genuinely quick.

"He's played a fair bit of second team cricket now, Bruce Reid has done a fair bit of work with him, and he's started to get used to playing at that level.

"He hurries batsmen when he's playing for the academy in the Southern League so it'll be interesting to see how he develops."

A left-handed batsman and right-arm bowler, Griffiths played five Championship matches for the second XI last season, taking seven wickets at 35, as well as six wickets at 36.16 in six second XI Trophy matches.

And he comes from a family with plenty of sporting pedigree. His father, Adrian, captained Wales in the Minor Counties Championship before returning to the Isle of Wight and his uncle Jonathon was a Welsh rugby union international before switching codes and playing for Widnes.