Tim Ambrose believes Warwickshire are ready to “jump on” opponents at the start of the new season – and make a strong start in their attempt to bring the championship title back to Edgbaston.
The Bears will begin their championship programme at home to Ambrose’s former team Sussex on Sunday with a very strong XI, including England trio Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott and Chris Woakes, at their disposal.
And Ambrose insists Warwickshire are determined to hit the ground running and be right up among the early front-runners this season after a 2013 championship campaign which never really got going.
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Warwickshire finished in a respectable fourth place last year. That was a laudable achievement considering the catalogue of injuries and international call-ups which ate away at the squad from first game to last.
Those factors, allied to some inconsistency of form from some players, meant a successful defence of the title was impossible.
So this time round, says Ambrose, it is all about regaining the buzz and the momentum of 2012.
“Last season never really got going for us,” said the wicketkeeper/batsman. “It stopped and started the whole way through.
“We never had a consistent side out on the field for various reasons and that meant we never really got into any rhythm. It was a shame because we always felt we were on the verge of getting going and we still finished fourth, which shows we were not too far away.
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“To finish fourth in the First Division was a decent effort in the circumstances.
“It was a shame we had all those things to contend with because I think the title was there to be won last year.
“But the weather closed in on us when we were pushing for victory over Yorkshire at Headingley and then we had a game at Edgbaston when we would have knocked off the runs but the weather thwarted us.
“We are just looking forward to getting back to where we were in 2012. And with pretty much all the guys fit, there’s no reason why we can’t.
“We just need to hit the ground running. If you look at us in 2012 and other sides who have won the championship in recent years, you see that you have really got to jump on people early on.
“If you do that you can be 35 or 40 points ahead before you know it.
“That can make a big difference at the end of the season so for us to have such a strong outfit at the start is fantastic.
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“We will definitely be keen to make a push in the early games, though of course other teams have their England players back as well so there will be some very good games of cricket out there.”
Ambrose will again be a key component of Warwickshire’s strategy in all formats this season, but in none more than four-day cricket.
His wicketkeeping in recent seasons has been up to the standard which earned him 11 Test caps for England a few years back while his quality and experience with the bat adds hugely to what is, when everyone is available, arguably the strongest middle-order batting unit in county cricket.
The Bears will be hoping Ambrose is a busy man behind the stumps in the coming weeks with, all being well, their first-choice bowling attack available.
When the likes of Chris Wright, Keith Barker, Chris Woakes, Jeetan Patel, Boyd Rankin and Rikki Clarke are fit and firing, the keeper and slips will anticipate plenty of work.
For Wright, Barker, Woakes and Rankin there is the additional spur of striving for an England call-up.
And the way Ambrose has performed with gloves and bat in the last three years, he appears equipped for a Test recall – although he is resigned to the likelihood that his time with England has come and gone.
“I had that fleeting thought myself, to be honest,” he said. “But then I realised I probably wouldn’t quite fit in the way it is now.
“But we have got a lot of guys who should be right in the selectors’ thoughts though.
“We have an excellent bowling attack, as good as you will find around anywhere in county cricket. We have got an army of fantastic seam bowlers.
“There looks to be a few spots available in the England side at the moment and that situation is inviting somebody to push their way in so there is an extra motivation for our guys who are very much in with a shout.
“We are as keen to see the lads get picked for England as we are to win games for Warwickshire but I think this season has a lot of potential for Warwickshire.
“It is just good to see a young side which is developing quickly here. They are young guys but guys who have played a lot of cricket now and that is a good place to be.”
Among those players who are eager to stake an England claim with impressive early-season performances is Jonathan Trott.
He certainly won’t have any complaints about the first opponents of the season – ever since scoring a century on his Bears debut against Sussex in 2003 he has generally plundered them heavily, home and away.
It has been a troubled few months for Trott. But right now he is exactly where he needs to be, reckons Ambrose.
“Trotty has taken some time off which is what he needed,” he said.
“He is raring to go again and he has come back to a place he is extremely familiar with and where people care about him, so it is the perfect situation for him.”