Renewed ambition
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Revolving door
Alan Butcher in for Steve Rixon
as first-team coach; Mark Butcher
for his first season as captain after
last term's false start; and Anil
Kumble for eight Championship
fixtures. Graham Thorpe retired.
Winter wonderland
Young batsman Stewart Walters
marries in Perth, then delights his
bride by returning to Kennington
three days later. The Brit Oval has
been shortlisted (alongside Roman
Abramovich FC) for the Sports
Brand of the Year award.
Strengths
Wisdom and promise, plus, for the
first time in a decade and a half,
no England call-up on the horizon.
Weaknesses
Unfulfilled promise; unproven
team spirit; unfamiliarity with
lower tiers.
Best-case scenario
Trophies galore as Martin Bicknell
has one last hurrah before taking
up a coaching job at Charterhouse
School; Tim Murtagh grows into
those outsize boots; Ally Brown
makes a late World Cup bid;
Mark Butcher, Rikki Clarke and
Scott Newman give the England
selectors another pleasant
headache or two; and Mark
Ramprakash stays hungry.
Worst-case scenario Appointed as vice-captain "to build a bridge between the generations", as Butcher Sr puts it, Clarke has to deputise for a `resting' Flintoff and the wounds of 2005 reopen. Although the team agreed to pay a collective fine, the culprit in the ball-tampering episode that ensured relegation remains stubbornly elusive.
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Young one to watch
Rory Hamilton-Brown - virtually
the lone English success at the
Under-19 World Cup and a great
all-round talent: aggressive bat,
penetrative offie, under-16 rugby
international. "He could be
anything," enthuses Butcher Sr.
Key man
Rikki Clarke.
What they say
"For varying reasons you might
equate last summer to someone
suffering from depression," says
Butcher Sr. "I've been majoring on
team spirit and the motivational
aspects. We have the ability to
win everything we want provided
everyone wants to play for each
other. That review of Ramps's
diary in your magazine could have
been damaging but the guys said,
`Hang on, there's nothing there
that didn't happen or wasn't true.'
It worked the other way. We've
talked about it openly." And what
of the other `Butch'? "Mark got
the all-clear in January and he's
had no discomfort from the hand
in the nets. He's definitely got the
Ashes in mind."
Mark Wagh
Moving on from the
magical leadership of Adam
Hollioake was never going to be
easy but a hugely talented, if injuryprone,
squad should be coming
through the transition phase and
ready to put some results together.
Difficult to write off but sometimes
just difficult.
Predictions County Championship 2nd (D2) Pro40 4th (D2)
Odds 7/4. Click here for full odds and to place your bet.