WICKETKEEPER Ben Scott believes that his arrival at New Road will help the development of teenage gloveman Ben Cox.

The 29-year-old returned to Worcestershire last week for an initial one-month loan spell from Middlesex after playing for the County at the start of the previous season.

With 19-year-old Cox struggling for form, director of cricket Steve Rhodes opted to take his protégé out of the firing line to try and help improve the former Bromsgrove School student.

Scott, whose last Championship match before last week’s 218-run defeat at Warwickshire was for Worcestershire against Gloucestershire, knows just how tough being a wicketkeeper can be.

“Coxy is a young lad and keeping is one of the hardest jobs out there — believe me,” he said. “I remember when I was young just how difficult it was.

“I think everyone needs to serve an apprenticeship to some degree. I started my career at Middlesex, but when I first got signed I was at Surrey.

“I walked into a dressing room with Alec Stewart, Graham Thorpe and all those guys and I knew that I wasn’t going to play — you could have almost written that into my contract that I wasn’t going to play first-team cricket.

“You serve that apprenticeship and learn how to play the game.”

The on-loan keeper believes Cox will only benefit from his time in the first team.

“It will be a good shock for him,” Scott added.

“Learning what it is all about, figuring out how to do it and I think that Bumpy sees it that way too.

“I didn’t see much of Ben when I was here the last time, the cross over was pretty smooth, but from what I have seen he is definitely one for the future.”