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00:00Yeah, so obviously, beautiful sunshine, current championships a couple of days away. How's it all feeling?
00:05Yeah, great. It's a huge excitement around the squad and as you say, the weather's helping.
00:09Often this time of year, it's freezing cold and raining.
00:12So no, it's great. I think the weather's set fair.
00:14So, yeah, it's been a good pre-season.
00:16We just can't wait to get going now for Friday.
00:18And the story is still the team to beat, do you think?
00:21Yeah, it'll have to be.
00:21I think it's an incredible achievement, what they've done, putting three championships in a row.
00:26Yeah, I think you'd probably think whoever finishes above them would win the championship.
00:31So, yeah, definitely the team to beat.
00:33How do you think the team can make that kind of next step?
00:39What needs to be done?
00:40Yeah, I think we can be really proud of what we've achieved over the last few years as a team to finish high in the league.
00:46But, you know, obviously with a team like Surrey, you have to keep pushing, get better.
00:49I think, you know, even if you turn up the same side, they keep moving on, they keep getting stronger.
00:54So it's on the other county stooge, it's actually the same.
00:57And, you know, we've spoken about that often, we have to keep driving our standards.
01:00We have to keep pushing forward and hope that, you know, if Surrey do slip, then you want to be the team that cashes in.
01:05And, you know, that's a challenge for all the counties in Division One here.
01:09Obviously, T20 is kind of the major thing, and it's at the forefront of world cricket.
01:14That's where quite a lot of the money is.
01:15But how important to you is the county championship?
01:17And do you think it should be, that should be kind of the forefront of domestic cricket?
01:22I'm not sure, really.
01:23I think the game's evolved so much from, obviously, when I started, you know, 2007 time, you know, obviously,
01:29Championship cricket and Test cricket was the main thing.
01:31But now T20 is huge as well.
01:33I think here in New Hampshire, we're pretty split in how we go about it.
01:37We always talk about trying to win all three formats.
01:39I don't think there's a sort of huge bias one way or another.
01:41So, yeah, the championship feels, you know, of high importance here.
01:45The club invests really well in the championship.
01:46And certainly as a squad, I love playing for Hampshire.
01:49We love Championship cricket and we're hugely committed to it.
01:52So, yeah, I can't wait to get going.
01:54Hampshire?
01:55Yeah, the opportunity to play in the county championship was, I suppose, always on my radar,
02:02or I suppose always a goal of mine.
02:04And when this opportunity came about, it was, yeah, it took all my palms.
02:09So, looking forward to it.
02:11No, no, it's, yeah, a great competition to be involved with.
02:14And obviously, great English players, but also great overseas players as well.
02:18And the exposure and the cricket that they play over here, it's, yeah,
02:23it's quite impressive.
02:25As you said, first-class cricket, is that kind of your favourite form of the game?
02:28Is that kind of what you're all about?
02:30It probably is my most loved format, even though sort of the shorter formats are also,
02:36I also enjoy them.
02:37But first-class cricket is proper cricket and it's, I suppose,
02:41it's something I've sort of gone right at back home over the last couple of years.
02:45And, yeah, obviously, as a kind of a young player coming through, obviously,
02:48T20 is kind of at the forefront of it, and that's what kind of the rally that it took place.
02:51But how important to yourself is it to be involved in the county championship?
02:54And how do you kind of view the county championship?
02:56Oh, massively, yeah.
02:57I mean, I think, obviously, Red Bull cricket is something that's, you know,
03:02it's been tough recently.
03:04But I think, yeah, the way Baz and Stokes here are trying to push for players to come in
03:09and be exciting, and Red Bull cricket is something that really does attract guys who want to,
03:12you know, have an impact on the game, which is awesome.
03:16And, yeah, I mean, I don't think you can get any more pinnacle of the game than Ash's cricket.
03:20Like, IPL and whatever is fantastic, and that probably sits just in second.
03:24But Ash's cricket is where it's at, so if anyone can get to that point,
03:28then they're in a very, very good spot.
03:30Yeah, obviously, the county championship is a pretty big part of this,
03:32how they level the sport.