Somerset's Calum Haggett is back in training at the County Ground after what has been a tough few months for the 19-year-old during which time he has undergone major open heart surgery.
The young all-rounder from Shapwick, out on the Somerset Levels, was awarded a contract after completing his studies at Millfield School last summer and made quite an impression in the Second XI games he appeared in.
Before Christmas he was a member of the England under-19 squad that played a series of one-day and four-day games at Bangladesh and, on the strength of his success, was selected to go to play in the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand early this year.
Haggett was all set to go to New Zealand but it was discovered, during a routine medical/cardiac screen carried out by 'Cardiac Risk in the Young' (CRY) at Loughborough, that he had aortic root dilatation and a leaking valve.
He was withdrawn from the squad and has since undergone open-heart surgery to deal with this condition.
The procedure was carried out in Brussels, because it is one of only a few places in the world which does this type of operation. It was performed by Professor Gebrine El Khoury, a specialist in this field.
Thankfully the youngster has made a good recovery and is now counting down the days until he can be back to doing what he enjoys most – playing cricket.
"It's been a difficult few months for me but now it's great to be back in training again and I am looking forward to getting back to playing cricket again as soon as I can", Haggett said at the County Ground last week.
"I certainly didn't expect anything like this to happen so it came as a very big shock to me to be told what was wrong.
"I am just so grateful that the ECB and Somerset were there to help me through this time. They were both very supportive right from the start and I can't thank them enough for all that they have done for me over the last few months."
Talking about the progress he was making he said: "I am now getting back to basic fitness training again trying to get me cardiovascular levels up and I have just had my first net practice, which felt really good.
"I have learned a great deal from my experiences over the last few months and what has happened to me has made me even more determined to succeed."
Somerset chief executive Richard Gould said: "Calum is showing great spirit and determination to come back from what has been a very serious illness.
He deserves enormous credit for the determination.
