Plenty of runs but not a bat in sight

YOU would expect to hear the traditional sound of leather on willow at a Guernsey squad session. But over the past few weeks the island side have been concentrating purely on their fitness to play cricket.

Bats and balls are still in the cupboard and the main sound in the College gym on a Sunday morning is from players fighting for breath.

This weekend the squad - and coaches too - were put through punishing bleep tests.

The Rovers duo of Nick Derbyshire and Tim Duke came out best.

Island manager Dave Hearse said that the new focus on fitness came from new Guernsey coach, former England spinner Jack Birkenshaw.

'Jack has seen us play and watched a few bits of Guernsey cricket over the years,' said Hearse.

'He recognised, as we're going into these more important games, not only this year, but in the future, improvements in performance will be directly attributed to better fitness and fitter minds and bodies.

'We haven't got the bats out yet, but I don't think that's essential in January anyway. We'll bring in more nets in the next few weeks.'

The squad has been working on core strength and aerobic training in their Sunday sessions and the players are also expected to work on their fitness in their own time.

'I'm very pleased with it. All the players have bought into it, some more than others.

'I think we'll reap the benefits from Jack from March onwards. He has told us to get fit, but we don't need Jack to tell us how to run up and down a gym.'

Traditional cricket kit is likely to figure by the end of next month, when the squad receive a 'wake up' visit from former England paceman Devon Malcolm and fiery county quick Steve Kirby, known for his sledging nearly as much as his bowling.

'They'll take us through some cricket-related exercise and then they'll have a bowl. They'll also be able to pass on their experience. It's a fantastic chance for our players,' said Hearse.

Batsman Matt Oliver is one of the few cricket squad members who trains for top-level football locally.

He said that the exercises were different, being cricket-specific, and the sessions were hard, but enjoyable.

'Everyone's here every week putting in 110% and it's good fun.

'We realise that with the standard of cricket we're going to be playing, we're just not fit enough, so everyone's putting the work in.'