Hampshire club captain, James Vince spoke to The News ahead of the new season.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 Yes, how's your winter been?
00:02 It's been good, a bit of a chomping around but yeah, the opportunity to play in Big Bash and then the IAL and then in Pakistan for the PSL.
00:10 So I was on the road for a few months but yeah, nice to be able to play some competitive cricket in some nice countries.
00:16 Yeah, how do you find the experience playing abroad, overseas every winter?
00:20 It's nice, I hear how bad the weather is here and it's not that fun to be in the indoor school training away.
00:27 Yeah, it's nice, I guess it's a fine balance between making sure we get some breaks in between and some family time.
00:34 But yeah, it's great to get the opportunities to go and play in those places.
00:38 And how are you feeling ahead of the season?
00:40 Yeah, nice, good to be back. I think there's plenty of optimism around the group.
00:44 As I say, the guys have been here putting a lot of hard work over the winter to be as prepared as we can for next Friday.
00:51 We spoke at the end of last season in a couple of areas we thought we could improve that might give us an extra couple of percent when we need it.
01:00 Throughout the summer, fitness was one of those and the guys have worked really hard in the winter, looking good shape.
01:06 And obviously, you're a bit limited to what you can do cricket-wise but lots of individual programmes,
01:12 technical changes that guys want to make and work closely with the coaches one-on-one.
01:21 So, the feedback from the guys' efforts over the winter has been really good.
01:25 Obviously, Surrey won it, the current championships last two years, right? You guys finished third.
01:30 You talked about those couple of areas where you need to improve. Is that fitness is one?
01:35 Is there any others that you can speak about in terms of how you want to catch up with Surrey?
01:40 Do you still think they're the main people to catch as well?
01:42 Yeah, I think they are. I think they've shown over the last couple of years their strength and depth along with their first level they've been out.
01:49 It's extremely strong. It can come down to one or two moments within games.
01:56 We've been poor away at the Oval and obviously with them, Surrey being at the top, it's points count double.
02:04 Getting off to a strong start and not playing catch-up and relying on other results would be nice.
02:10 But, as I said, we've won a lot of games, we've lost a couple.
02:14 So, I guess if we can hang on in those games while we're behind and come away with draws
02:19 and just looking at 20-odd points, 20-30 points is what we're trying to make up.
02:24 So, it's one or two games. If you take a loss into a win and a loss into a draw, you're there or thereabouts.
02:31 Small margins. I think we've done a lot of stuff right.
02:34 I've got belief in the group that we can go that one better and hopefully, a bit more to the title this year.
02:40 Perfect. How's the atmosphere in the dressing room? Has it been a good, exciting season?
02:45 Yeah, it's good. I think everyone's desperate this time of year just for it to get started.
02:49 Having put in a lot of effort over the winter and watched a lot of rainfall.
02:54 Lots of players who can't wait for the sun to come out and actually start playing some proper cricket.
02:59 I think this group really enjoys the challenge and the motivation.
03:04 We haven't won the County Championship for 51 years as a club, so it's a strong motivator.
03:09 For the guys coming towards the back end of their career, there's something we're desperate to achieve as a group.
03:14 You can certainly feel the hunger and desire of the guys to do that and can't wait to get started.
03:21 Perfect. Obviously, the last few years you've consistently challenged on all three formats.
03:27 Is that the aim again this year or is there a particular focus on any type of format?
03:31 No, as you say, I think we've been reasonably strong across all three formats.
03:35 We didn't have much to show for it last year, but certainly from a club point of view,
03:39 to see teams competitive in all three formats is great.
03:44 We do have some players that play one format only, but we don't have a huge squad here.
03:50 I think the results we're producing is fantastic and shows the club's in a good place.
03:56 Obviously, we've won a trophy to show for it, but the whiteboard stuff, the first goal is to get through the group stages
04:04 and make sure you're in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
04:07 In the shorter form of the game, in those matches, anything can happen.
04:11 We've certainly given ourselves an opportunity to make finals and win trophies.
04:17 Just on the County Championship in 1933, is that a date that you guys talk about?
04:24 I know Rob Bransgrove was very keen on winning the championship here.
04:30 Is it something that the club consciously would like to break that?
04:34 I mentioned Rod there. I know Rod's desperate to win it and put in a huge amount of effort over however many years
04:41 to build a side that's capable of doing so. I think that feeds into the group.
04:47 We want to be the group of players that stops that rot and wins the trophy.
04:54 As I say, even though a few guys have played a lot of cricket, maybe coming towards the back end,
04:59 there's still that overriding goal that keeps driving us forward and makes us want to achieve that goal
05:05 and be part of a group that is the one to actually do it.
05:09 The guys are really keen to join in.
05:13 For you personally, is it nice to be back here?
05:17 Six months in England, the Championship, the counter-grind after you've been overseas for the winter.
05:25 Is it a nice person to have that constantly?
05:28 It's nice to get home. My wife and kids are grateful I'm home too.
05:35 It feels like coming home. We've been lucky enough to play in the same franchises for a couple of years in the winter
05:42 and be going back to something familiar.
05:44 Nothing beats coming back here and a build-up to a season, being around the guys again
05:49 and building up towards that first game and starting the 'counter-grind' as it's called.
05:55 As I say, I personally and the team are really keen to get going.
05:59 The T20 leagues, there's a lot of talk about how sustainable that is, the calendar schedule.
06:07 In a way, for English players, there's a lot of opportunity there.
06:11 Is it almost as good as it's ever been in terms of the chance to go abroad in the winter and play all around the world?
06:18 As you say, I think we've been lucky as Englishmen that a lot of competitions have been in our off-season.
06:24 I think now there's more and more popping up during our summer.
06:27 Certainly there has been a lot of opportunities over the last four or five years to go and play in these competitions, which is great.
06:36 Obviously, from a financial point of view, it gives you the opportunity to learn to make your income.
06:41 To be able to go and play with all these different players in different conditions all around the world is fantastic.
06:49 It's an experience that I'm sure when you've finished playing you'll look back on and be really grateful you've had the opportunity to do so.
06:56 We're lucky for those opportunities, but as I say, it's also nice to be back here now and focusing on the summer.
07:02 You've had that experience in England last year, playing in the U20 League.
07:14 Are you still weighing up those considerations?
07:18 Do you have contact with the selectors in that way, or is it more about focusing on what you can earn and what the opportunities to play are?
07:26 I guess the tricky thing with the England stuff is I've never turned down the opportunity to play for England.
07:33 If that situation did arise again, I guess it would be something to think about.
07:37 The difficulty, I think, is if you feel like you're going there because there's a clash in series and you may be just going to be filling the numbers for three games or two games or whatever it is.
07:50 Without really the chance of getting into that side permanently, then there's probably some thought you need to have as to what's your priority.
08:02 As I say, I'm not in that position at the minute, but no predicting what's going to happen if I was in that position again.
08:08 That would be the kind of thing I'm thinking.
08:10 If it was going to potentially get in the way of an opportunity that I've had and might keep for a few years, just for the sake of filling the numbers for a game or two,
08:19 then certainly I'd have to give it some thought in the past of prioritising playing for England.
08:24 That's been my goal, what happens in the future.
08:28 [BLANK_AUDIO]