With the season just days away, Leicestershire batsman Angus Robson delivers his first column for Deep Extra Cover, talking warm winters and strong overseas names.
The season has come around fast at Leicestershire and as a Club we are going in very confident of performing well. The club takes on a very different shape and feel this year with a big turnover of players and support staff.
There is a very positive feel around Grace Road and expectations are high that we can get off to a good start and enjoy a successful season. We begin our season with a four-day game against Glamorgan and that is a game we really want to win, they’re always a tough side and boast many experienced and international players.
We are going to be a much stronger team than that of the previous years and will be going in to win.
The month leading up to the season has involved more practice matches than previous years and training has run smoothly, with Andrew McDonald, Mark Cosgrove and Wasim Khan having all had an enormously positive influence on our squad. Clint McKay, a proven international pace bowler, will also be a great addition to our squad. The variations in his deliveries and his experience should lead to great success for both Clint personally and the team. A player of Mark Cosgrove’s ability is also going to be of great benefit to all of us. It is often at this stage in early April that you are ready to leave the practice behind and get stuck into the matches. It’s no different for myself and Leicestershire.
We have a good core of senior players and there is much for us young players to look up to on the field. Having a batsman of Mark Cosgrove’s ability is going to be of great benefit for myself personally. I can’t wait to bat up the other end to such a destructive batsman who has seen all types of situations right around the world.
Personally my winter has involved playing first-grade Club cricket in Sydney for Eastern Suburbs. It’s a great environment to keep yourself playing matches each weekend and batting in the middle. I have trained hard over the winter and I’m really looking forward to building on my 1000-run first-class season from last year. I have always found that match practice combined with hard one-on-one work has been good for developing my game. I worked closely with my brother, Sam, and batting coach Mark O’Neill in Sydney and I feel in a good space. It’s going to be important to really convert some big scores this season to get us off to a good start and push towards winning first innings scores.
We are taking no shortcuts at Leicester and are all extremely determined to succeed.
There is a great competitiveness for spots and come round one there are going to be many unlucky players due to the closely competitive squad we possess this season. We have a great mix and I’m sure we are going to get a win on the board early in the season.
Grace Road is a great place to be at the moment and that will certainly be the case on day one of the season when admission is free to the general public. It is going to be a great atmosphere with a good crowd in and everyone involved with Leicestershire cricket is optimistic about the season ahead.
