Rocchiccioli says ‘there’s no better comp’ than the County Championship

Corey Rocchiccioli has loved his stint with Warwickshire in the Rothesay County Championship and believes that “there is no better comp.”

With county cricket in its customary state of introspection, the future size and shape of the Championship is under review but, on the evidence of his four games for the Bears, Australian off-spinner Rocchiccioli is a huge fan.

The 27-year-old did well for the Bears, taking 16 wickets in four games on pitches offering little help to spin bowlers. He has now returned to Australia and believes he has done so as a better bowler – and would love to return to England for a longer crack at county cricket.

“The Championship is a really cool comp,” Rocchiccioli said. “I found the skill levels incredibly high, and it’s so different. With the different grounds, you have nuances here that we don’t have at home. You go to Sussex and it’s on a slope, I went to watch at Lord’s and it’s a different kind of slope. As a player, you always have to adapt on the fly and learn how to play in the conditions.”

“In Australia, sometimes you can have quite a repetitive game of bash the top of the stumps and try to hit the seam, and it’s quite similar how every game plays out. Here, no game is the same.”

“I know that players over here have their thoughts on the amount of cricket they play, and I only played four games, but I think playing every week and testing yourself against players you have never seen before is fun. I’d love to do a full season and test myself week in and week out. In essence, there is no better comp.”

Having been signed to supply spin support during the four matches with the Kookaburra ball, Rocchiccioli did well for Warwickshire. He contributed plenty to the Bears’ solid Championship season, figuring in draws with Somerset, Sussex and Essex and the sensational win over Worcestershire at Edgbaston. He started with a debut 5fer – five for 67 against Somerset at Edgbaston – and took six for 173 against Sussex at Hove.

“I had some completely different roles in the games and had some success in all of them,” he said. “I am really happy with the body of work I have done and excited now to take that into the Sheffield Shield back in Australia and potentially some A team stuff against India and the Lions.

“There might be times in games when we have to try to stem the run-rate, which I haven’t had to do before. I now know how to approach that and have had some success doing it. I’m understanding how, as a bowler, you have to adapt to all conditions because you are not always going to be able to bowl the sexy off-break. I feel that I have got a bigger bag of tricks now with what I have learned.”

“The skill levels in county cricket are just the same as back home, but you are also playing on different pitches that require different skills, and playing with and against top players like Tom Latham and Migael Pretorius.”

Rocchiccioli has returned to Australia with his appetite well and truly whetted for county cricket – and some very fond memories of the Bears and their fans.

“What I loved about the crowds in England is that they want to get involved way more than Australian fans do,” he said. “They are not just passive, they want to be involved. I learned about the history of the derby with Worcestershire and understood how much it means to supporters. I really appreciated that and it was a great atmosphere to play in. It feels like the fans are right on top of you and I really enjoyed that.”