MARK Footitt's unforgettable season for Derbyshire has earned recognition from the England selectors.
The Derbyshire left-armer, who has taken 100 wickets in all cricket this season for the county, has been named in the England Performance Programme fast bowlers' camp in Potchefstroom, South Africa, this winter.
If all goes well, that could lead to Footitt playing for England Lions in South Africa early next year.
Footitt was told the news before the start of the Championship match against Leicestershire yesterday with a telephone call from England selector Mick Newell.
"It was a nice way to start the day but then I had to get my mind on to this match here because obviously we might have been bowling first," he said.
"It was like a brief 20 minutes being really excited and then put it to the back of the mind.
"I'm really looking forward to it and cannot wait to get out there to improve my game as well as having an experience out there. Hopefully, it leads on to bigger things if I do well out there.
"They want to get a group of bowlers together, the ones that have done well this year, and see what they can do and hopefully it does lead to a tour.
"It's great to be recognised with some of the best bowlers in the country. It's a massive honour for me and it will be a pleasure to go out there."
The England Performance Programme (EPP) will be led by Andy Flower and will consist of training blocks at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough before a three-week camp in Potchefstroom, South Africa.
An England Lions squad for the tour of South Africa early next year will be selected towards the end of the training blocks.
England Performance Programme fast bowlers camp in Potchefstroom, South Africa: Jack Brooks (Yorkshire), Matthew Dunn (Surrey), Mark Footitt (Derbyshire), Craig Overton (Somerset), Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire), Boyd Rankin (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).
