Warwickshire squad return ready for ‘high intensity work’

Warwickshire’s Bears have returned as a collective to embark on another winter programme.

Players enjoyed some rest and recovery during their time off whilst performing their off-season fitness work before their return, in particular Sam Hain and Dan Mousley – but the hard work starts now with a healthy schedule pre-Christmas.

All players were measured on various tests, including their strength, power, speed and body composition, with specific analysis of their movement screening and technique.

Usually a friendly environment the players perform the competitive and challenging 2k time trial test where their scores are benchmarked.

“It’s the time of year where we measure all aspects of the players fitness to build a profile for each player, although it’s a challenging time for players,” said Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach Jack Murfin.

It’s certainly a team effort. Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach Rebecca MacLaren, plus Head Physio Gerhard Mostert and Physio Chris Cole, all contribute, heightening the importance of this time of year.

“In groups the players perform a range of tests such as sprints, jumps, run 2’s and movement screens”, added Jack Murfin. “Whilst none of it is a surprise to the players, it’s important that players return ready for the high intensity work planned.

“Our cricket programme pre-Christmas is more structured and is tailored around developing players individual fitness to help their performance which includes a lot of conditioning and gym work.

“As we play from April to October, a number of players are involved in cricket abroad during the winter, so it’s important for them to maintain their levels of fitness so they are ready to perform.”

Jack stepped up to the role in the winter of 2017/18, having been Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at Edgbaston since November 2016.

A graduate of the University of Derby, his move into cricket came at Derbyshire where he spent just over three years as Strength & Conditioning Coach with the Emerging Players Programme and age groups.

“I’ve been involved in cricket for just under ten years and it’s an amazing sport to be part of,” Murfin concluded. “Each season brings different challenges and it’s certainly a lot different to when I first started.

“The summer schedule has become incredibly congested and moving from one format to another in such a short space of time is now the norm.

“The volume of fitness work during the summer months is reduced, which is why the pre-season is a great opportunity for the players to improve individual areas and be ready for the start of the season.”