Daryn Smit believes Academy prospect Mitch Wagstaff will have gained valuable experience from his appearances in the Royal London Cup.
Wagstaff, 17, played four times in the competition, opening the batting and improving his score in each fixture, closing the competition with a controlled 36 against Surrey.
His resilience was tested early after he fell for nought against Northamptonshire, but the youngster bounced back to show promising signs for the future. He came into the squad as both the leading run-scorer and wicket-taker within the Academy, and will likely feature in some Second XI Championship fixtures before the end of the season.
Head of Talent Pathway, Smit, played alongside Wagstaff in the defeat to Surrey, and he hopes the experienced gained by the batsman will help in his development moving forward.
“I think Mitch is moving in the right direction,” Smit told BBC Radio Derby.
“I don’t think any coach could expect him to be the finished article at 17, and go out there and be bashing it from the start. But he’s progressed after an unfortunate score in his first game and gone from strength to strength.
“Anyone who knows the game can see there’s real talent there, his fielding has been good and his attitude has been brilliant, he’s everything we look for in a cricketer. Hopefully he can put these games into his locker and learn from it.
“It should have given him a good idea of what it takes at this level, so now he can go back to the Academy, hopefully get a couple more chances too, because it’s invaluable experience.”
