Pre-season build-up...

Well, here we are again.

Ian Bell’s already scored more runs than the entire Worcestershire side and almost as many as I made last season in his hopefully fruitless quest for a Test recall, it’s 2 days until the start of the LDCC season and despite a few worries along the way, I’ve made it into the 4th’s XI for the trip to Caldy on Saturday, a year and a day since turning out in the 5th’s inaugural game at the same ground on one of the coldest days on which a cricket field has been graced; a day when I discovered I could bowl inswing in three jumpers, though only with the assistance of a gale blowing across their exposed lower ground. One of those days you’re glad you’re crap at slip.

A week ago the long-range forecast read an ominously familiar 6 degrees Celsius, feels like 2 degrees, thanks to a brisk northerly but it looks like we could have one of the more meteorologically pleasant opening days for some time – last year both Sefton’s grounds were underwater (though the umpires still refused to call off the 1sts’ game until 4pm) – as even Caldy, precariously close to the Dee estuary, looks like it should make double figures with the promise of plenty of sunshine.

After 3 months of scraping ice off windscreens and traipsing through drizzle to net indoors on the bounciest tracks this side of Perth, turning to the traditional damp April greentops should cause enough challenges for those of us who’ve bothered getting a bit of practice in.

Fortunately for the 4ths, most of the top 6 are the other side of 50 (this week’s average age is around 38) and would be as likely seen in the Ukrainian gymnastics team as working on their game so they’ll still be ready to prop onto the front foot and jog the long singles, whilst the interspersed under 35s who’ve still not given up hope of that County cap, or at least another go in the 3rds, have been working on their back foot shots very nicely since the second Wednesday in January. Which will be pretty much useless until at least June.

But expectations are still high for a glorious return to the top flight; the skipper’s kept faith with the same experience which couldn’t avoid the drop last term and we’re ready(ish) to prove we still have some worth.