Jack's back: Taylor on his winter in Australia and his excitement ahead of the new season
11 March 2016
Jack Taylor is looking forward to the start of the new season after returning from a winter playing club cricket in Melbourne.
The allrounder enjoyed a successful spell at Kingston Hawthorn where he played alongside Gloucestershire team mate Will Tavare.
Jack averaged 474 at 31.6 in cricket with the bat and 29 at 16.4 with the ball.
He said: “It was a great four or five months. We both went pretty well on the pitch and we got to train at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) as well which was a great experience.”
“The wickets weren’t great – not as good as I had expected. You come up against some decent players, some of the state players and Aussie players as well so it was a decent test.
“Being the English overseas you cop a bit as well but I feel in a better place looking ahead to our season here as a result of going over there.”
Jack decided to go out and play in Australia in order to get more overs under his belt and spend more time at the crease.
And he says he feels he achieved both of his goals while in Melbourne.
He said: “How we went last season with our seamers bowling well and the wickets not that conducive to spin I didn’t get as many overs as I might have expected so I wanted to get more outdoor bowling. I came back having bowled something like 200 overs so that was perfect.
“I also wanted more time in the middle. I had a couple of decent scores last year but didn’t get much in between. I just wanted to get more consistent and I’m definitely in a better place now.”
Jack and Will returned to Bristol at the end of February and had one day off before returning to full training with Gloucestershire in a specially designed marquee that has been pitched on the County Ground square.
Jack said: “It was quite hard to adjust in the first week but the tent has been so beneficial. We’ve been in there four times a week for the last three weeks and the boys are in a great place.”
The players received their annual visit from the PCA (Professional Cricketers Association) last week. And Jack said it was interesting to hear from former England players Chris Lewis and Graeme Fowler on some of the potential pitfalls and challenges of being a professional player.
He said: “We had Chris Lewis come into talk about life after cricket. It was a good insight. Obviously he went through a tough time and went to jail but it was great to have his view on how beneficial the PCA are to make use of the personal development opportunities that they offer.
“We also had Graeme Fowler talking about mental health and hearing from two guys that have been through things that are so tough really hit home.”
To listen to the full interview with Jack click below. It includes more on the PCA, his form in Australia, the new floodlights and his excitement at lining up alongside new signings Andrew Tye and Cameron Bancroft.
