WITH the season now over in England - for some of Hampshire's cricketers it was a case of just a few weeks off before starting a brand new campaign.

Derek Kenway and Chris Tremlett are just about to head Down Under with the new 'National Academy'.

Meanwhile, three of us other young hopefuls have travelled to Perth to look to improve our cricket by taking part in Paul Terry's new cricket academy, as well as playing Grade cricket on the weekend.

This is the first year that ex-Hampshire and England batsman Paul Terry has had his 'Auscricket Management' set-up up-and-running, with a number of young cricketers from around the counties being sent out to train and play.

I flew out last week with Ian Thomas from Glamorgan, and Chris Liptrot from Worcestershire. They are both 21 year-olds who have played a bit of first-team cricket, but are out here to undertake a full winter's fitness and technical training programme in order to attempt to make the most of their potential.

From Hampshire, James Schofield, Irfan Shah and myself have all been put on the programme, and are raring to go.

The flight over was very good, although it does take a long time to get to this place!

Alan Mullally, a resident of Perth, was there to pick me up from the airport, and 'Spider' looked good, especially considering it was 2am! He took me to his brother, Neil's house, which is where Irfan and myself are to be staying for the duration of the season.

This is a great result for us, as Neil is not only a top bloke, but he also happens to have a swimming pool, spa, and sauna! Neil is the state IT manager for Boral IT, and plays his cricket at Perth CC, which is to be my home club for the season.

We went to a club training session the evening of the first day I arrived, and you get the impression straight away, of just how much people love their cricket out here.

There were over 60 guys at the nets, all vying for a spot in one of the four grade teams.

And the session was not just a case of a gentle bat and bowl; there was full warm-up and fielding, followed by four nets for just over an hour. The last half-an-hour was spent on fitness.

As a first impression, this attitude by all would seem to indicate why the Western Australian cricket is rated as the highest standard of club cricket in the world.