Interview with Will Jefferson

[Andy Mellon]

Will Jefferson is a selected member of the WAT England A 2004 team. Questionnaires were sent out to the players who got in the team. The first to reply has been Will Jefferson, opening batsman for Essex. I hope you enjoy reading what he has to say, and I would like to hear your comments on his opinions so that we can send something back to him from the membership:

Q1. How were you first introduced to cricket, and what about the game got you hooked?

Originally Posted by Will Jefferson

The first memories i have were playing in the back garden with my Dad when i was about six. I think i started to drag him out nearly every day, wanting him to bowl to me and then bat when i wanted to bowl! He never pushed me into anything and i played about 7 sports up until the age of 14. Cricket was always my favourite. I got hooked by watching players on the TV and loving the action. I always enjoyed watching the different batsmen's techniques and how easy they made it look.

Q2. How has your height affected your game and training programmes? (Jefferson is 6ft 11.5in)

Originally Posted by Will Jefferson

As the years have gone by i have become aware that my body is susceptible to injury unless i take great care of it. I regret not doing any weights at school, and as many as i should have at university, but i was always playing sport and practicing obviously and didnt think that weights and muscles gains were as important as they are now. Through my degree at university i learnt more and more about it and along side the interest i take in nutrition the combination of understanding about the two go hand in hand and recently i have had a lot more energy to train even harder and have applied this to my weight training. i take a lot of pride in my health and fitness levels. i am very proud of having a personnel best of 15:2 on the beep test, something people not associate with someone so tall.

Q3. We have been reliably informed that you were once a decent bowler. What has prevented you from bowling in recent years, and are we likely to see youturning your arm over in first class cricket in the near future?

Originally Posted by Will Jefferson

i returned from a gap year in Cape Town when i was 20 and picked up a disc problem which was mis-diagnosed and turned out to be sciatica in my left leg. i did not realize it was severe nerve causing the discomfort until too late. i tried to get through it with rest and anti-inflammatories but i needed an operation to scrape away 20% of the disc to allow the nerve room to move around. The operation was a success but it taught me a great deal about my back and the Essex Physio sent me to have my legs measured under a CT Scan. It showed that my bone lengths were different and my left leg was 14mm longer than my right.(As if they are not both long enough already!) i have had every right shoe that i own built up 14mm to help level out my pelvis. My body took many months to adapt to the change. Returning to bowling before i am strong enough and have a biomechanically sound bowling technique would open up numerous other injury problems.(Alex Tudor has a similar problem) i am hoping to be looked at in the near future and the way i do things i would only settle for the best and at the moment that is Troy Cooley so i hope to grab him next summer. It is in the back of my mind that i may never bowl again but basically i am going to give myself every chance to give it a go but wouldnt want to threaten my career with another serious injury. I would hate to miss another whole season because of it. Especially as i am happy
with the way my batting is progressing. I do realize that bowling adds an important string to my bow if i want to make the step up to the next level.

Q4. How important do you think training and participating in matches overseas is? What overseas teams have you played for and what have you learnt from the experience?

Originally Posted by Will Jefferson

Depending on what age you are i think every young Cricketer should gain as much experience as possible in as many different conditions as possible. It is all part of the toughening up process. i Have been lucky enough to play in four different countries. I played for Young Peoples Cricket Club in Paarl, South Africa for a season when i was 19, a season for South Perth when i was part of the Paul Terry Academy two years ago and now for Papatoetoe CC in Auckland, New Zealand.
They have all been hugely challenging experiences and have contributed to the player that i am now. I love travelling to different Cricketing nations where they are so passionate about the sport. I was also involved in the World Cricket Academy for ten days in Feb 2004 in Mumbai which was one of my most enjoyable experiences. I loved the people and the difficulty of facing their own bowlers on their own wickets. Somewhere i would love to return to.

Q5. What do you think, if anything, could be done to improve the overall standard of County Cricket?

Originally Posted by Will Jefferson

The way the England team have been playing over the past 12 months, nothing at all! Much is said about the amount of Cricket but if you really look after yourself i think it is manageable. I do think the bowlers suffer the most (mainly because there is never any time to recover) and more care should be taken or young guys coming through are going to have shortened careers.

Q6. What is your opinion of the overseas signings that Essex have made in your time at the club and what are your opinions in foreign players competing in County Cricket?

Originally Posted by Will Jefferson

I made my debut when Stuart Law was i the team and batted with him on a couple of occasions. i was at home recovering from my operation when the problems started arising at the club and was too young to really know what was going on and the real reasons as to why he departed but one thing was for sure. He was a class batsman and i would have loved to have played more along side him and picked his brains. He would have broken all sorts of records if he had played his whole career with Essex and would have, in my opinion, made a good Captain. I played a month with Mark Waugh and he had an aura about him that lifted the whole team. His arrival at the club just for the one month coincided with some of the best Cricket i have been involved with Essex in the last four seasons. That says something about him as a player. Andy Flower has not been as successful as he would have liked to be but he has had more of an influence on me than any other overseas player in my first class playing career. He is a class act with a gift for getting across his point whether it is batting tips, Captaincy or motivational skills and this bodes well for a successful coaching career if he decides to come back to Cricket when he decides to stop playing. i would love to play under him. There should be a maximum number of EU players per County, before the numbers start to spiral out of control.

Q7. Would you play in an England A-Team given the opportunity?

Originally Posted by Will Jefferson

Silly question. Yes, of course i would. It would be an honour to represent England at any level and even more so to me as i didn't at any age group level. Matthew Hayden never made the Australian Academy.

Q8. Who are your favourite cricketers of all time, and which cricketer do youthink influenced your own style the most?

Originally Posted by Will Jefferson

i think Graeme Hick influenced my own batting style-he used to be a big hero of mine. i have followed Cricket so closely throughout my life it is very difficult to pick out my favourite players of all time, because there would be so many. For different reasons, Viv Richards because of the way he conducted himself at the crease and dominated bowling attacks. Mark Waugh for his elegance and as i was lucky enough to be at the other end of the pitch on a couple of occasions. Graham Gooch for his sheer appetite for run scoring and dedication to his game. Mike Atherton for his courage and skill
levels as an opener. Nasser Hussain for his ruthlessness. Glenn McGrath, for his ability to consistently hit a line and length in all conditions.

Q9. In a poll on the England forum the question was asked, "Would you watch televised A-Team matches?" 26 of 30 respondents said they would watch matches between 'A' teams and/or matches involving 'A' teams against touring sides. These two or three-day matches would make ideal fillers between home Test matches. If such televised matches were scheduled would you be interested in participating?

Originally Posted by Will Jefferson

i would love to.

[Andy Mellon]

Q10. Have you had an opportunity to train at the National Academy facilities inLoughborough? If so what impressed you most about the facilities?

Originally Posted by Will Jefferson

Sadly i have not visited the new set up yet. i think the first chance i might get will be when i find the time to do the Level 3 coaching course! Although i havn't ruled out hope of making the academy in the next 2 winters.

Q11. When you retire as a player what career path are you likely to take - coaching, administration, media or something outside of cricket?

Originally Posted by Will Jefferson

At the moment i would say something in Cricket and i would say my specialist area would be batting coaching. i have no definite ideas yet but i do enjoy the physical and mental training side of preparing for the sport, read up on them a lot and will continue to do so. i also have learnt enormous amounts about nutrition and will always take a strict view on my health. I might find myself choosing to do courses in one or two of these areas. i think teaching runs in the family, so i am not counting that out too.

Q12. What advice would you give to youngsters to encourage them to take up cricket?

Originally Posted by Will Jefferson

Through the different phases of my life it has given me everything i could have ever wished for. School and University was sheer enjoyment for the sport, meeting and making new friends. The chance to tour and see the world. A Gap year for 5 months in Paarl, Cape Town to open my eyes to other cultures and leave me wanting to experience it all again around the world. The meaning of failure and how to overcome it by working even harder at all aspects of your life. More recently the mental battle with yourself required to succeed on a consistent basis and the feeling it gives you when you achieve goals you have set yourself.

Q13. Are there any young players around that you are aware of that could beknocking on the door for Test selection in the future?

Originally Posted by Will Jefferson

I would have to say Alistair Cook at Essex as i have seen him close up and know a bit about what makes him tick. For someone his age, he is mature beyond his years and i see a bright future for him in the game.

I also think James Foster will come again. i know him well and believe his Test career is far from over.

Q14. What were your opinions on the recent England tour to Zimbabwe? Would you have gone if you’d been asked to?

Originally Posted by Will Jefferson

Being in New Zealand i wasn't able to follow it much and i will probably read more about it when i return home. i would have gone if i had been asked.

Q15. What hobbies/sports do you get up to when not playing or training for cricket?

Originally Posted by Will Jefferson

I love Golf and Tennis and recently started playing Real Tennis as there are two courts near Chelmsford. I wish i had more time to play all of them. i am into reading sports peoples' autobiographies and also motivational and sports mental training books.

Once again. Many thanks for Will for kindly participating in our questionnaire and answering - quite frankly as far as I can see - the questions that were posed. He's offered a real insight into how a county cricketer ticks, some of the problems with playing cricket at the top level and some tips for helping you get there yourself. I hope you enjoyed the discussion as much as I did.