Josh working hard in South Africa

Josh Thomas, who was awarded a contract in September after graduating from the Somerset Academy, has spent the first few weeks of his life as a professional cricketer in sunnier climes.

Whilst the rest of the locally based Somerset players reported back to the Cooper Associates County Ground earlier this month, the 18-year-old all rounder, who plays club cricket for Taunton St Andrews, has been out in South Africa.

Talking from Cape Town earlier this week, Josh said: “I flew out two weeks ago and since then I’ve been attending the Gary Kirsten Cricket Academy where I’ve been working with some top coaches. Most of the time I’ve been training indoors with people like Jimmy Cook, Justin Kemp and Gary Kirsten.”

As well as being part of the Kirsten Academy, Josh has been playing club cricket in Cape Town.

“Everyday has been very busy,” he explained. “It’s been really hard work. In addition to that I’ve also been going to club training on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Rondebosch. I’ve played a couple of First Team games for them and it’s a pretty high standard. I’ve really enjoyed it and it’s great to be playing outdoors in the sun.”

Josh added: “As much as I’m enjoying it out here I’m still looking forward to getting back to England and training with Somerset because I’ve never experienced being in a professional environment in the winter.”