THIS time last year Tom Craddock was writing his university dissertation on Twenty20 cricket and the difference between English and Indian views.

Fast forward 12 months and that subject matter has come alive for Essex's exciting young leg-spinner, 22, as he's just returned to England from a 21-day spinners' camp in Pune, East India playing One-Day cricket.

He joined fellow Essex prospect Jaik Mickleburgh out in the sub-continent to work on his skills ahead of his first full season with the county.

"I'd been out to this camp before a couple of years ago on an MCC programme," he told the Chronicle. "It's basically a spinners' camp but batters come too, to learn how to play spin.

"It's a completely different way of coaching over there. For me it was all about how I felt in my action and what my head and my hips were doing.

"I've been trying to learn and develop some deliveries like my googly, flipper and top spinner. Last season my two main deliveries were the leg-spinner and the slider and I'd vary my angle and pace.

"It's about getting confident with them enough to use them in a match, it would be pretty embarrassing if I bowled a double bouncer or something like that!"

The build up to pre-season as a professional sportsman is a far cry from his days studying for a sport, leisure and culture degree at Leeds Metropolitan University.

"Yeah this time last year I was doing my dissertation," he said. "I really enjoyed writing it but I only got a 2:2.

"To be honest since then it's all gone a bit crazy, I would never have imagined I'd be where I am now."

It's been a helter skelter eight months for the Huddersfield- born youngster, who originally joined the county on a two-month trial in June having impressed with the Unicorns, a team made up of players without county contracts.

A two-year deal then followed after a series of excellent performances, most notably four-wicket hauls against Glamorgan, Northamptonshire and Leicestershire.

"I didn't really want last season to end," he said. "I was just getting in to my stride because I hadn't been playing in the early part of the season."

Name England's last successful wrist spinner and you'll probably be scratching around for names like Ian Salisbury and Chris Schofield, does that put any greater pressure on Craddock to succeed?

His head coach Paul Grayson, himself a former England finger spinner, said: "Tom was absolutely fantastic last season. He knows it'll be more difficult in his second season so he's got to develop his game."

Craddock added: "I don't feel any pressure other than what I put on myself.

"To be fair England have some good finger spinners like (Graeme) Swann (Monty) Panesar and (Danny) Briggs who's just been called in to the England One-Day squad. But you're right, there haven't been too many wrist spinners."

With England said to be closely monitoring his progress a good season could lead to international recognition although he missed out on a spot on the England Lions winter tour of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

"I know I've got to earn my stripes," he said. "If I have a good year you never know what'll happen. To be honest 12 months ago I didn't think I'd be doing this so you just don't know."