Hi all, hope you're wintering well! It's good to see that nets are in full swing - preparing for what is shaping up to be a really exciting season for the club and that I'm looking forward to getting back to be a part of! Saying that, I'm writing to you from the beach in 30 degrees so I'm not in a rush with the weather forecasts I'm seeing in the U.K.!

On the cricket front, my team is doing really well. We are in the quarter finals of the T20 comp, and are third in the league, looking likely to make the top 4 which are the places for finals. The standard of the league is good, coming up against a range of ex test and district cricketers which has been a good challenge. The type of cricket out here has taken a bit of getting used to, with two day matches played over two weekends mixed in the league with one day 40 over games. The format does however allow me to bowl plenty of overs and bat for a long period, even from the middle order, so I should be in a decent place to hit the ground running at the start of the season with CBH.

Christmas and New Year proved a different experience to the cold and rain I've been used to with temperatures reaching 35 degrees on Christmas Day! Being able to meet up with Harry for the Boxing Day test match before kicking on to 10 days travelling around Queensland put a bit of a homely feel on the festive period and kept me busy during the break in league cricket at that time. As the pictures can attest to, it was an amazing period of new experiences, from getting battered by the waves off the Gold Coast, to meeting up for a beer with CBH old boy Josh Henderson by the streets beach in Brisbane, swimming in a lagoon in the rainforests around the Daintree River to snorkelling in the fish tank that is the Great Barrier Reef, it is definitely a 2 weeks I won't forget in a hurry!

I look forward to sharing a beer with you all very soon after hopefully helping Berwick to the 'flag'!

Best Regards,
Jack Williams