Aussie ace Tim Ward is signed by Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury have strengthened their squad ahead of the Birmingham & District Cricket League season getting under way by signing promising Australian batsman Tim Ward.
The 19-year-old goes straight into the side for Saturday's Graham Williamson Trophy second round tie at West Bromwich Dartmouth after Shrewsbury beat Kenilworth by four wickets last weekend.
Shrewsbury, under new captain Ben Stebbings, begin their Birmingham League Premier Division campaign at home to Barnt Green on April 29.
Ward, from Sydney, is a left-handed top order batsman who plays for Parramatta in the strong New South Wales Premier League. This will be his first experience of playing in England.
Ed Foster, Shrewsbury's vice-chairman and experienced batsman, said: "Tim's coach at Parramatta was the captain of the Cambridge Granta side we beat in the National KO final a few years ago, so when the opportunity came up for Tim to play for us the coach was quite happy to let him come our way having seen at first hand that we're a decent club
"Tim is essentially a young guy looking to come over and play some cricket."
Foster added: "Tim comes over with no expectation from our side. We have an opportunity for somebody to come and play and we hope Tim does very well."
