YOU did rather well to grab a word with Tom Abell this week. Last Sunday he flew back from Australia where he has been playing club cricket for Fremantle, near Perth.
On Monday, he celebrated his 25th birthday and four days later he flew to Abu Dhabi with the rest of the Somerset squad.
In a fortnight or so, he will be playing for MCC against Surrey in Dubai and little over a week later he will be back at the County Ground, leading his side out against Kent in their opening County Championship match of the season.
Fortunately, though, courtesy and consideration come as standard with Abell. He has as much time for people as he often has to play his shots. These qualities are ingrained in the character of this Taunton boy quite as deeply as his loyalty to Somerset and his desire to see his county prosper.
“There’s a lot of energy about the place and it’s a really exciting time of year,” he said on his return to the ground where he has spent some of the happiest days of his life. “We took some really big strides as a team last year and we’re looking to take that into this season.
“But Surrey were still the standout team and we now strive to be that side. But it’s easy to look too far ahead. Our focus has to be on that first game against Kent.”
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