Shreck determined to keep his place

Kent bowler Charlie Shreck knows he will have to maintain his form this season to keep his place in the side.

One of Kent’s winter signings, Shreck opened up the new season with figures of 6 for 112 at Headingley against Yorkshire and is expected to lead the attack once more when Kent face Northamptonshire on Thursday.

Despite being held to a draw by the Tykes, Shreck believes that there is a new ethos about Kent Cricket under Jimmy Adams’ stewardship; “The word around the Club is that things have changed. There’s a different attitude, there’s more competition for places, there’s an urgency to perform and create an ethic where we win.”

The 34 year old seamer may have been in county cricket for a while now, but pre-season has been one of the toughest he has faced. though Shreck feels the hard work put in over in Antigua was well worth it; “We had a lot of running around on that trip. There wasn’t so much of a holiday feel to it. We got our moneys worth and the squad came to the realisation that we were all going to have to compete.

“It was explained to us all that we were going to have to harden up as that’s Jimmy’s main ethos. He wants us to be able to cope under pressure. People have figured out it isn’t going to be as easy as it was last year and there will definitely be a push in the back if you’re not doing what you’re supposed to be doing.”

Shreck opened the attack alongside former Durham seamer Mark Davies at Headingley and believes the pair could go on to form a great strike partnership; “He played for my old club Notts on loan, but I missed the games in which he played. He has got wonderful stats averages and he is a very good bowler.

“We’ve hit it off really well and if we both bowl to our potential, there’s no reason why we both can’t take a lot of wickets for Kent this season.”

Having started the season in the side means very little to Shreck, who believed that everyone will have to be on their toes this season to retain their place; “We have got Tredwell to come back into the squad, so there’s plenty of experience along with lots of youth. There seems to be a lot of enthusiasm to get into this team for the four day games.

“We’ve got six of them in a row and once you get in, hopefully everyone will hold their place, but if not, there’s someone at the door ready to take that spot. I’ve got to keep taking wickets throughout the year, otherwise someone else will be in the side ahead of me.”

Tredwell is expected to be the one change to the Kent side that faces Northamptonshire starting on Thursday, with Adam Riley the most likely to make way in the side. The full squad will be announced on the Kent Cricket website shortly.

Charlie Shreck was speaking to Steve Wolfe of KSN

Photo: Sarah Ansell SarahCanterbury.com