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IT'S a pretty tough time down at the Rose Bowl at the moment; the recent defeat to Lancashire leaves us propping up the table as we travel to Arundel for a crunch game against Sussex.

The Sharks may well be without Mushtaq Ahmed and are struggling to replace him, which is a huge boost especially as it can be spinner-friendly at the picturesque ground.

I believe we are taking two spinners down in expectation of some reasonable turn as the pitch wears, but otherwise the same side will be backed to turn our fortunes around.

Besides a bit of turn, Arundel is normally a nice place to bat and should provide a good chance for our guys to get greedy.

Dimi Mascarenhas is back in the wickets and Chris Tremlett's extra bounce should give us the edge on the bowling front.

But, if it swings, then Jason Lewry will be a real danger.

Despite our precarious position, if we turn over Sussex we will find ourselves shooting up the table again.

Normally, one or two counties are flying at the top by this stage of the season but, this year, there's really only a win between top and bottom.

In previous seasons, we've been competing for the top spot and, though it has been very different this year, we are only a winning streak away from challenging the leaders.

It doesn't seem right as we've struggled to find any consistency so far, but if string together some results in the second half, then it could be very interesting come September.

The first XI may have been experiencing highs and lows but injuries/ absences have opened the door for a number of younger lads both in the senior side and also in the second team.

Last year, we often had a full allocation of contracted players in the second XI but this year the knock-on effect of the injury list has given a better opportunity to many of the academy lads.

Last year, Hamza Riazuddin was unable to get the second XI cricket we would have liked, yet this year he has shown he can perform at first class level when called upon.

And it was his temperament that impressed in these games, as much as his undoubted ability, which should hold him in good stead for the future.

LiamDawson continues to make an impact and should get a chance to further his credentials as the season progresses - he sometimes puts too much pressure on himself to perform, especially with his bowling, but there's little doubt he's ready when/if selected.

From the current crop of academy lads, left armers Chris Wood and Danny Briggs have really impressed on the bowling front while James Vince's batting has come on enormously following his winter down under.

Woody (the academy system helps in many ways except it seems in providing inventive nicknames, as Briggsy and Vincey can also attest...) has been a great asset with his ability to swing the ball back into the right-handers.

Meanwhile, Briggsy's left-arm orthodox has been a revelation, especially in limited-overs cricket where, despite not being the biggest turner of a ball, his exceptional control of line and length has seen him dovetail superbly with Liam in the middle overs.

Chris Morgan, another left-arm spinner, provides more competition among the young spinners.

Morgs had a tough season last year but seems to have re-discovered his consistency and, if he can continue to improve this aspect, he will offer something a bit different as he turns the ball prodigiously for a finger-spinner.

O ne guy to watch out for in the not too distant future, if he can build on his raw ability is a young lad from Bradfield College with the potential to be seriously quick - seriously!

His action is something of a Shaun Tait/Lasith Malinga hybrid and the radar sometimes goes astray but, with time and experience, that will improve.

If he can stay injury free - there is a serious amount of stress of your body when you bowl with a slingy action - and learns to be more patient with himself, he should have a bright future.

He certainly impressed a number of us in pre-season.

The future of the club looks bright - there are plenty of talented lads already on the staff and many more coming through the ranks but it's up to all of us currently fortunate enough to be playing to ensure we maintain first division cricket at the Rose Bowl for the foreseeable future.

8:01am Thursday 17th July 2008

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