IF Hampshire duo James Vince and Liam Dawson play for England at the World T20 in India, one man will no doubt smile as he recalls two journeys that began in rural Wiltshire.

Alan Crouch, head of performance at Wiltshire Cricket, first worked with Vince and Dawson when they began playing for the county's under-11s in the early noughties.

Swindon-born Dawson, 26, soon joined Hampshire's academy, but Vince, from the village of Steeple Ashton, near Trowbridge, remained in the Wiltshire set-up before joining his pal at the Ageas Bowl a few years later.

Vince, who turned 25 on Monday, is the most likely of the two to be involved at some stage, having started his England career with a man-of-the-series performance in the 3-0 win against Pakistan in the UAE in November.

The raucous atmosphere in the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai - where the pair's new Hampshire teammate Reece Topley is sure to take the new ball in England's opening game against the West Indies this afternoon - will be a far cry from Erlestoke CCC's picturesque 'Walled Garden', where Vince first played the game for the local 'social village club'.

In the years to come, Crouch would spend many hours helping Vince hone his skills at Devizes Leisure Centre.

"When Vincey first came into the system, the one thing that stood out was his athleticism," recalls the former PE teacher.

"He was also a very good footballer and an outstanding fielder from an early age. So that physical competence, a pre-requisite, was there right from the start.

"He obviously had a lot of talent but not so much that you thought he would definitely be an England player. His batting just evolved over a long period of time.

"But he was also very quiet. When he was 15, he came down to a regional course at Taunton where I was coaching with [former Hampshire and England bowler] Bob Cottam, [Warwickshire and Somerset legend] Tom Cartwright and [ECB cricket development director] Andy Hurry.

"His father brought him down but Vincey was so shy he wouldn't get out the car to start with. He was very introverted.

"But I've never forgotten an old friend, who was involved in SAS selection, saying 'always keep your eye on the guy at the back'.

"That has always been to the forefront of my mind. You get extroverts who come to the front, particularly in a games environment, but Vincey was always in the background.

"He has the sort of character that would excel in an individual sport and I suppose batting is an individual sport within a team environment."

That character trait has not stopped Vince from being a successful Hampshire captain.

"His leadership qualities didn't come to the fore in the early days," continued Crouch.

"People don't change their character traits but introverts can be very good leaders - Michael Vaughan's the only extrovert I can think of who was a successful captain.

"The one ingredient you need is character because of all the ups and downs they have to go through and failures they have to endure to get to the top.

"And it's only when you put players through the mill that you get to know their character. I'm very hard with them all."

Speaking to the Daily Echo during a coaching clinic at Warminster Indoor School, Crouch continues to give a fascinating insight into his modus operandi.

"It's here we put them through cold winter nets to get them to fail. It's mentally draining and means they are have no doubt what it takes.

"That's something Daws' had from the very start. He went to Hampshire a lot younger than Vincey. He was a very determined 11 year-old, really focused on being not just the best that he could be but on going all the way.

"Apart from being very talented he had a very strong mindset. He was introverted as well but perhaps his leadership qualities were more evident at an early age.

"His dad, Andy, decided Liam was better off at Hampshire. They both came into our office in Salisbury to tell me. I said 'fine, if that's what you want to do' and it was the right decision. Hampshire look after our players better than anyone."

Dawson, 26, and Vince both shone under the tutelage of Hampshire batting coach Tony Middleton, who was the county's academy director at the time.

"I rate Tony very highly, he should be given the credit for their development," continued 63 year-old Crouch. "I've worked with the very best coaches in the world through being involved in regional and national coaching programmes since my mid-twenties and I can't speak highly enough of Tony.

"He has a very deep knowledge of the game and what it takes, having played for England A, to get to the top. He knows what a bloody hard road it is and he's absolutely frank and straight with them."

Batsman-wicketkeeper Tom Alsop, 20, and all-rounder Jake Goodwin, 18, are the most recent Wiltshire players to move to Hampshire.

"Tom leaves no stone unturned and Jake's another really top player, a top-order batsman who hits the ball very hard and a brisk bowler, who I hope will be offered a contract," said Crouch.

"Jake's no different, we're quite tough with them but don't push players for the sake of pushing them because we don't want to give them false hope."

Crouch will be fascinated to see how Dawson does for England, given the chance.

"You never know 100 per cent how players will do until they're thrown in at the deep end, but he will take the chance if he gets it.

"He'll back himself and [England Lions coach] Andy Flower has clearly seen that. Vincey's said he wants to play all three formats and he's got that in him.

"Technically, he's probably a bit better than [Alex] Hales. He's probably looked at the likes of [Adam] Gilchrist and [David] Warner, who have taken the one-day game to Test cricket, and thinks he can do the same."