Dawson has brought a new energy: David Payne Blog
3 March 2015
After four months of indoor nets it has been great to get outside and start practicing on grass in the marquee.
This is the first time we have been able to get outdoors this early and hopefully we will reap the benefit once the season gets underway.
Personally, it has been nice to come in off my full run-up and I feel in good rhythm.
When we started in there it was a little bit slow but this week it has been more bowler friendly, which the seamers have enjoyed. There has been a bit more dew which has made it quite spicy for the batters with the ball has started whistling past the bat.
I think some of the batsmen have been finding it tough, especially the likes of Jack (Taylor) and Rodders (Gareth Roderick) who have come back from hard fast pitches in sunny South Africa to an early season green deck in chilly Bristol.
I managed to get two weeks away from the cold at the end of January with a holiday in Mexico. It was great to relax and take my mind off things for a couple of weeks. I came back refreshed and ready for the last phase of pre-season. The weather was great and the Mexican people were so friendly - a lot more positive and optimistic than a lot of people over here!
While I was away it was confirmed that Daws had been appointed head coach. Although he knew I was away he texted me straight away to ask how things were going which was a nice touch.
John Bracewell was a fantastic technical coach but Daws coming in has given us a lift that we need right now as a team. His energy is the thing that stands out for me. There is never a minute’s rest and he has got that Yorkshire grit that means he is always challenging us. Daws only finished playing a couple of years ago and he is very much in tune with the players – even to the point of allowing us an occasional game of 5-a-side football which the boys love!
Another thing Daws has brought is that at the end of the week we have a team lunch to cap things off. The Bristol Pavilion chef Damian Awford-Nash puts on lunch and the groundstaff also come up which is nice.
Our first pre-season match is only just over two weeks away and after a long hard winter it will be great to get back into competitive action again.
I look forward to seeing you all in the season,
Payney
David Payne is sponsored by Mr Michael Abbott
