Will Smith: Durham are desperate to make amends

County Cricket / Will Smith / 05 April 2011 /

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Right, lads. The sooner we get them out the sooner can have a Lord's lunch. It's that way.

"Given the success of the previous two championship winning seasons, that was disappointing. Rest assured 2011 will be different, as many proud men in our squad will want to bounce back and prove how good we can be."

Durham batsman Will Smith tells us about pre-season tours to Dubai, lunches at Lord's and why Somerset are the team everyone in Division One are fearing the most.

It's that time again, that time that seems to come around quicker every year. The start of the domestic cricket season. It's the time that 400 or so county cricketers look forward to with excitement, anticipation, confidence and perhaps even trepidation.

At Durham, with fitness and skills work completed over the winter months, the first step was our week-long pre-season trip to Dubai. The trip consisted of two practice days, three days of competitive cricket against Sussex CCC and two days of the Fly Emirates Twenty20 tournament. While a semi-final exit at the hands of the ever-competitive Sussex in the tournament was disappointing, the trip was extremely beneficial to every player. It is always interesting to note which players look in particularly good form. Two to watch out for us over the course of the season are Mark Stoneman at the top of the order, and Scott Borthwick with his his ever-developing leggies.

The main positive to come out of the trip was the reappearance of Graham Onions on a cricket field. Graham had as tough a 2010 as his 2009 was stellar. No sooner had he established himself on the international stage, than he was cruelly sidelined with a serious back problem which required surgery. The surgery has been a success and I've never seen someone spend more hours in a gym than Graham has this winter. To see him bowling at decent intensity in Dubai was a welcome sight for everyone within the squad. While the need for caution will be there until he regains the trust in his body, I'm happy to predict he will be taking wickets for Durham before too long.

The 2010 County Championship went to the very last day as Nottinghamshire eventually and deservedly, prevailed. As a team, we at Durham didn't perform anywhere near consistently enough to be in contention. Given the success of the previous two championship winning seasons, that was disappointing. Rest assured 2011 will be different, as many proud men in our squad will want to bounce back and prove how good we can be.

It promises to be closely fought yet again, but one team everyone will understandably be fearing are Somerset. Runs will always come from Marcus Trescothick et al., while with the addition of Steven Kirby and Gemaal Hussain to their already highly skilled seam attack, they have a team capable of beating anyone on their day.

On a personal note, I have never been more excited for a domestic season. It is fair to say that last season didn't go according to plan, especially after the previous two. Being awarded player of the year in the 2008 championship winning side and then captaining the 2009 team to the same achievement, my hopes for 2010 were understandably high. Adversity has to make you stronger in this game, and I believe I have so much to achieve that my ambitions are higher than ever. The way I see it, you have to embrace the tough times to appreciate the good ones. Let's hope in 2011, personally and as a team, the upward curve is resumed.

Cricketers look forward to many things during the season, whether it's travelling the country or having a job that allows them to be outside almost exclusively. Some say the best things are the camaraderie between team-mates and playing in front of appreciative crowds. That's all well and good, but without doubt the biggest draw are the fantastic lunches that are on offer at some of the grounds now. The importance of nutrition in sport is becoming paramount, and cricket is no exception.

The behemoth of lunches will always be Lords though. How every player at Middlesex CCC is not 20 stone I have no idea. They must be models of self-restraint. Sadly, Durham and Middlesex find themselves in different divisions this season so I won't be enjoying those delights up in north west London this campaign. All of which means that apart from a run spree from myself, my main wish for this year is that Middlesex win promotion...

Lords aside, there are some outstanding spreads on show, and each year, at some far-flung corner of the county treadmill a new chef will have been appointed who produces the best yet. I wonder where it will be this year...

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