Player Blog: Liam Norwell on pre-season preparation and delight for Klinger
3 February 2017
This winter has flown by; it doesn't feel long ago since the 2016 season finished and it seems crazy to me that we will be outside in the marquee in around 4 weeks and playing our first pre-season games a couple of weeks later.
On the run up to Christmas, a big focus was put on our physical fitness with new Strength & Conditioning Coach, Bob Smith. I think the main reason this winter has gone so fast is that each week Bob has been pushing us to be better and to get that little bit more out of ourselves. The lads have responded really well to that. I think the changing room is as fit as it has been in a long time and hopefully that'll help us put in some big performances in the season.
Unfortunately for myself, throughout winter training, I had a nagging pain in my groin which after a MRI scan in December we found I had a torn tendon. It was an injury I picked up towards the end of the season but we felt at the time it was just a niggle, so I came back and trained as usual in November. I'm currently on a recovery programme and aiming to be bowling again in the next couple of weeks and I'm confident I'll be fully fit for the start of the new season.
It's not all been fitness and cricket this winter though because myself and a number of the lads have just arrived back from a golfing weekend in Marbella. It was great to be able to relax away from cricket with the boys and enjoy the weather with a few rounds of golf on some hard but spectacular courses. Golfs popular with the lads at the moment with David Payne and Jack Taylor probably the two best players in the changing room, although Graeme Van Buuren took the win in Marbella across the weekend to become the new ‘Club Champion.’
On Tuesday evening we found out that Maxy (Michael Klinger) finally got the Australia call he has deserved for so many years.
He has been such a consistent high class performer and a model professional for so long, getting to play for his country is the least he deserves. I think it shows how much he has done for our changing room and the lads by the way every member of the team congratulated him on our WhatsApp group as soon as they'd heard the news. We are all stoked for him and wish him the best of luck in the T20 series against Sri Lanka.
I'm really looking forward to what will hopefully be a very successful season and I look forward to seeing you at The Brightside Ground this year.
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