Promotion the Priority for Middlesex

It’s been just six days since the completion of the sensational World Cup and the end of England’s gruelling winter schedule, but the game’s domestic competition is now under way.� County cricket, the sport that symbolises the British summer, is as fierce and competitive as ever, despite ongoing financial uncertainty.�

Unlike the familiar format of professional football divisions where the ‘premier’ league represents the cream of the game and the division below signifies an evident gulf in class, the LV County Championship is a completely different proposition.�

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Whilst the top sides do feature in Division 1, the strength of the counties in Division 2 means there is often little to tell between the two. Every side in the inferior division will boast international cricketers from around the world. A host of Ashes heroes and England regulars ply their domestic trade in division two; the national captain Andrew Strauss, England’s most gifted batsman Kevin Pietersen, and their brightest hope Eoin Morgan to name a few.

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The usual suspects will be expecting to compete for promotion to Division 1 with the likes of Surrey, Essex and Kent among the favourites.

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Yet, after an indifferent season last year which saw them lose their opening four fixtures and finish second from bottom, Middlesex are ready to push for promotion and have firmly made the County Championship their priority for 2011.

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Managing Director and former England all-rounder Angus Fraser has said optimism is high after an encouraging pre-season.

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“It’s an exciting time of the year and there is certainly optimism in the air,” he announced.

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“We’ve kept the team busy this winter and they’ve worked very hard on their fitness.

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“We had a pre-season fitness camp which was very productive and this is the fittest Middlesex side ever to represent the club.”

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A successful pre-season is one thing, but to maintain form and confidence throughout the summer in three different forms of the game is quite another. But Fraser is remaining positive and firmly believes this Middlesex side have what it takes to compete for honours.

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“I believe, and our coaching staff believe, that we have a very capable and talented group of cricketers,” he added.

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“We hope and expect Middlesex to be competitive in all forms of the game and to be challenging for honours throughout the season.”

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Neil Dexter, the newly appointed captain who will have the privilege of leading his side out at Lords on home matches, echoed Fraser’s words but is remaining realistic on the difficult season ahead.

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“Pre-season has been good. The last few weeks have been excellent compared to what they were last season,” Dexter revealed.

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“The energy is definitely around the place but I’m not going to stand here and say promotion is definitely going to happen, but we are doing the right things.”

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Important squad additions should prove crucial to Middlesex’s chances with the arrival of West Indian medium-pacer Corey Collymore, Australian Chris Rogers and promising spinner Ollie Rayner on-loan from Sussex brought in for the promotion push.

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The squad seems to have a solid balance between experience and youth after the promotion of a number of players from the academy and Dexter believes the squad is looking in much better shape this season.

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“We’ve got a stronger squad this year with a lot more seamers and hopefully they will all stay fit,” he said.

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“It will make my job a lot harder selecting for the games but I’d rather be in that position and work on a rotation basis instead of a team full of injuries.”

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One player who will feel like a new signing having missed a large section of last season due to international commitments is Ireland World Cup hero Paul Stirling.

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After an impressive tournament - which saw him hit a century against Holland and contribute to Ireland’s humbling defeat of England - the big-hitting 20 year-old is now fully focused on county success.

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“I think everyone’s getting pretty excited about getting started so hopefully we can go into the season with confidence and win a few games,” he said.

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“We’ve got to play well and just focus on ourselves,” he replied when asked what the key to promotion will be. “We are going to try to improve and work hard and not worry too much about what the other clubs do.”

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Middlesex can boast three England internationals in Strauss, Morgan and Steven Finn and, apart from an extended break for Strauss, the other two should be available for the early part of the season.

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Finn’s position in the England side is far from assured going into the summer Tests against Sri Lanka and India, which could prove to be good news for his county.

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His availability might just be the difference between success and mediocrity this season as the 6ft 7in paceman has the proven ability to tear through batting line-ups at any level.

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If he is whisked away by the national team, Middlesex certainly have the resources to push for promotion in his absence but the job could be made that much more difficult.

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As the club captain himself put it: “Its going to be a tough, tough competition but if we can focus on what we do well then we will give ourselves every chance.”

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Middlesex squad photograph courtesy of Cliff Thornton.

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