Q+A: David Griffiths

The Kent fast bowler sits down for a quick question and answer session…

Q: Are you pleased to be fit again?

A: Of course. It’s been my aim and my biggest hurdle rolled into one: both to get fit again and then to get selected.

Q: Your first season at Kent has been something of a rollercoaster ride, wouldn’t you agree?

A: Yes, exactly that. It has worked out in many ways, because I’ve settled in to the club and the dressing room really well and I felt I performed well in the Twenty20 games I played in, but the niggling injuries have tended to set me back because they’ve come at the worst possible times for me. There’s still plenty of cricket to be played, however, and hopefully I can remain fit for the business end of the summer and play my part in some Kent success.

Q: Have you had time to look around the Garden of England as yet or had chance to put down any roots?

A: Yes, I’ve just bought an apartment in the old hospital in Canterbury, just round the corner from the ground. I’ve also taken on a membership down at Prince’s Golf Club in Sandwich. I play off 12 and want to get down to single figures if I can.

I like Canterbury as a city too, because it’s got character, some quirky streets and nice places to eat. I also have a house in Southampton that I share with my girlfriend, Gemma, so we spend some time together in two places.

She works for the Carnival, the cruise line, co-ordinating travel, flights and hotels for members of staff. It works out well in that we both have careers that we love.

Q: You have another year left on your Kent contract, but have you any plans as yet for the close season?

A: I haven’t had chance to speak with Jimmy Adams about it as yet, but I think I’d look to get away after Christmas, maybe for a couple of months in the build-up to next summer here.

I went to Perth twice and also to Sydney when I was younger, which I enjoyed because the pitches have a lot more carry and bounce.

I’ve also been to South Africa and Barbados in pre-season with Hampshire, but then you come back to England and have to re-adjust your lengths.

Pre-season is all about getting miles in your legs and it’s so much better bowling outdoors than in the indoor school. Now that my old Hampshire captain Dimi Mascarenhas has got the head coach’s job at Otago, perhaps going to New Zealand is another option.