Jimmy Adams believes taking his Kent squad to Antigua for a ten day training camp may just prove to be the catalyst for a great season.

The Kent Head Coach took a sixteen man playing party along with three support staff for the pre-season trip and now having arrived back in Canterbury at the weekend, Adams told KSN how he felt the trip went:

“All the work we set out to do, we did and the group benefited from being together for the ten days.”

“The support we got whilst we were out there was second to none and the guys enjoyed the best of conditions to prepare themselves for the season ahead.”

“The main thing is that we managed to get some good time practice in, whilst not picking up any injuries along the way.”

“The trip was also good for getting the guys to know more about one another and that will stand us in good stead for the season ahead.”

One player that did miss the trip to Antigua was all-rounder Darren Stevens and Adams explained the reasons for leaving him back in the UK:

“We knew straight away after Darren got back from the BPL that he was struggling with a finger injury, so it was better for him to stay back at home and get better.”

“The good news is that he is getting there, but it’s still not 100%, so we’ll have to make sure it is allowed to heal in the next few weeks.”

Whilst Adams and the squad were in Antigua, Kent Cricket announced the signings of batsmen Scott Newman and Brendan Nash.

Newman has agreed a two month loan deal at Canterbury, whilst West Indian Nash will be with the squad for the entire season and Adams believes their experience will be invaluable:

“Both have got bags of experience and will bring something extra to the squad. Scott joined up with us on Monday, whilst Brendan will join up with us on Saturday.”

“With some players set to be away at the start of the season, it was important for us to make sure we covered some of the gaps in the squad and both Scott and Brendan will be excellent additions.”

Despite five new faces at Canterbury this season, Adams told KSN how he was still looking at bringing in a few new faces:

“Mark Davies (Durham bowler) joined up with us for the trip and showed us what he can do whilst we were over there. He has been coming back from an ankle operation and is getting back to where he wants to be.”

“He’ll most likely join up with us for the pre-season games we’ve got coming up over the next week or so.”

“We’ve also been talking about bringing someone in for the Twenty 20’s, although we haven’t sorted anything with that just yet.”

“A lot will depend upon who is available and what we can do, but it would be good if we could bring someone in for a spell.”

Kent kick off their pre-season games against Middlesex at Beckenham in a One Day game on Friday with two games against Glamorgan at Canterbury to follow next week.

With the new season just a couple of weeks away now, Adams believes these games are crucial for the team’s preparation for the season ahead:

“It’s always exciting when the season is just a few weeks away and everyone around the club is starting to get excited about playing some cricket.”

“These games are an important part of the process of getting everyone ready for the new season and we’ll be using them to ensure everyone is up to speed ready for rest of the year.”

Kent’s 40 over game at Beckenham on Friday begins at 12pm with admission free for all spectators.