THE Duke of Kent was taken aback by the speed of the new bowling machine during his visit to the Warminster Cricket Academy on Thursday.

The electronic machine has a top speed of 99mph and the Duke was visibly impressed when offered the chance to try it out.

The royal visit was a red letter day for the £110,000 academy, which is the only facility in Wiltshire to feature two indoor lanes. But the thought of facing balls as quick as those delivered by Brett Lee and Shoaib Ahktar was clearly not a pleasant thought for the guest of honour.

Academy bookings secretary Sally Hutton said: "I think we may have taken the Duke by surprise with the speed the balls went through the machine.

"It is a great piece of kit for the coaches. It is basically like having someone bowl at you in the same spot for as long as you want."

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