Player Blog: Craig Miles on preparation for the 2017 season
20 January 2017
Firstly, a very happy new year to you all. I'm sure the turn of the new year is a significant date in the calendar for all Gloucestershire fans, as we all can see a summer of cricket is not too far away!
After relaxing the body and mind through October, we were back in training in early November. The six weeks leading up to Christmas had a focus on regaining and improving fitness levels, with the choice of skills practice down to each individual. Personally, I was batting 2-3 times a week as well as doing technical bowling drills to tighten up my action. This is my first full time winter in Bristol since that of 2012/13, having been up and down to Loughborough the last three on the ECB programme.
It’s a great thing to be part of, as Matty Taylor is no doubt finding out this year, and I hope to be involved again soon. However, spending a solid winter here is allowing me to work constantly on the parts of my game that the coaching staff and myself have identified as needing focussed attention, in order for me to kick on.
Before I knew it, Christmas was here and we had a three week break to enjoy the festivities. It wasn’t all mince pies and chocolates though! We were all given a Christmas fitness regime to follow as a “present” from our new Strength and Conditioning Coach, Bob Smith. He was keen that none of us lost the fitness gains we had made in the first half of the pre-season period.
Prior to Christmas, my girlfriend and I had a short trip to Amsterdam, which included museum tours, a canal cruise, the Heineken Brewery and time spent exploring the rest of the city by tandem. A fascinating place to say the least, I would certainly recommend it!
The rest of the Christmas period was spent between Swindon and Bristol, enjoying some family time.
The boys reported back on 9 January and, with just over two months until our first pre-season game, the level of intensity in all areas of training has been upped a notch or two now.
The introduction of fielding practice twice a week and competitive nets on a Friday, alongside our weights programme and ‘Track Tuesday’, signals the fast-approaching season. In just over four weeks’ time, the marquee will be set up outside and the guys will be able to ease themselves in on grass and replicate some match play.
As winters go, this one has so far flown by and the boys have made some great progress. We are all absolutely buzzing for the season now!
I hope to see you all down at the Brightside Ground at some point during the season.
Milo
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