Kent all-rounder Adam Ball is hoping to end the 2013 season as a regular in the County Championship side.

Ball was recently part of the England squad that went to Hong Kong to play in the annual sixes tournament, where they beat Australia in their opening fixture, but lost to Hong Kong and South Africa later that same day.

The Kent all-rounder didn’t feature for the side at all on that first day of the two day tournament, but was part of the side that lost to the Netherlands in the Plate semi-final on the Sunday.

Having been part of the squad, Ball told KSN how he had enjoyed his first taste of sixes cricket and that it had given him an appetite for more:

“It was a great experience out in Hong Kong. It was the first time I’d been out there and it was nice to go to another country where they are very enthusiastic about their cricket.”

“As for tournament, it was a different experience for me playing sixes. Representing your country at any level is a good achievement. We would have liked to have done better than we did and I only got to play in one game, but playing in that one game I learnt quite a bit about how to play six a side cricket.”

“Hopefully, I will get another chance to go there again next year and I can learn from what happened this year.”

One person Ball spoke to before his trip to Hong Kong was fellow Kent all-rounder Darren Stevens who has featured in the tournament himself a few times before:

“I spoke to Darren before I went and he’s a bit of a celebrity out there now. They all love him out there and he told me what a great experience it would be for me and that I’d have a great time.”

“He told me that on any given day sixes is so unpredictable, so I should go out there and just enjoy it.”

Now back in the UK and at the University of Kent, Ball is back working with the Kent squad as he prepares for a busy summer having been away with the England Under 19’s side quite a lot last year.

Captaining the England side in the World Cup down in Australia, Ball has built up a reputation within cricket, but he told KSN how he is hoping to secure a place in the Kent side on a regular basis next season:

“That’s one of the reasons why I looked to go to Uni as I would have two winters after I had finished with the England Under 19’s to be at Kent all year round and be available for selection.”

“I’ve been doing bits and pieces, here, there and everywhere over the past couple of years, so it will be quite nice to get into the routine of being with Kent and breaking into the side in all three aspects of the game.”

It’s been Ball’s bowling that has seen the 19 year old feature in the Kent side back in the summer in both CB40 and T20 cricket, but the talented all-rounder wants to force his way into the side for his ability to bat and bowl:

“I think a massive part of my career progression is as to how well my batting comes along. If I can become a genuine all-rounder in the first-class game, then I will be very valuable to the team.”

“That’s going to be a massive emphasis in the next couple of years. I need to make sure I am contributing more with the bat and show what I really can do.”

With the likes of Charlie Shreck, Mark Davies and Darren Stevens in which to learn from, Ball is lucky to be able to turn to Kent’s senior pros for advice and he told KSN how he regularly asks them for help with his game:

“I think it is essential as a youngster to have these people about and I think we have got a great balance in the team now with that blend of youth and that vital bit of experience.”

“At the moment, I’ve learnt a lot from these guys and they have had a massive influence on the team from a bowling perspective.”

“They have been very helpful and have helped me change my mindset about bowling and how to bowl in certain situations. Bowling is all about having the right mindset and having clear thinking every time you go out to bowl.”

Along with Ball, the future of Kent Cricket looks very promising with the likes of Daniel Bell-Drummond, Sam Billings, Fabian Cowdrey, Adam Riley and Ivan Thomas all on the verge of making it into the Championship side on a regular basis in years to come.

With that in mind, Ball told KSN how it was vital for the side in the long run that these youngsters fulfil their potential and credit must go to the likes of Simon Willis and the Academy for helping produce these players:

“It’s credit to our youth system that they are providing the first team with this amount of very talented youngsters. It’s very exciting times for Kent fans over the next couple of years.”

“As we have all grown up together, we can take over from the experienced guys and form a decent unit in years to come.”

“A lot of credit has to go to Jimmy Adams being in the dressing room as he is a massive influence on all of us. The information he feeds back to us players is suberb and I’ve certainly learnt a lot from him.”

“Only recently have I had a couple of batting sessions with Jimmy and I learnt loads, so I’m hoping to spend more time with him over the winter.”

Having captained the England Under 19’s side, Ball also admitted he harboured ambitions to skipper the Kent side in the long term, but wanted to cement a place in the team first:

“I never really thought about the England Under 19’s captaincy until it was put in front of me. I think the main thing for me is to concentrate on the next couple of years and continue my success in the One Day format and take that into the first class game and then see how things go from there.”