Hewitt ready for Havant challenge

The two in-form teams meet tomorrow in the Southern League premier division before doing it all again on Sunday in the T20 Knockout Cup.

Opening the batting is a relatively new task for Hewitt, who, when he arrived from Hambledon, was primarily a bowler.

In the middle of last season, however, he was asked to move up and has retained his place with some good performances.

Hewitt believes the more he plays there the easier it will become.

‘The idea was a bit strange when it was first presented to me,’ he said.

‘I did alright in the five or six games I played there last season but it was different to anything I had done before.

‘It is a huge challenge coming up against a lot of decent opening bowlers.

‘The hardest part is trying to quickly work out what a good score will be on the wicket and adjusting your batting accordingly.

‘Seeing off the opening bowlers can be tough but I keep working hard to adapt my game.

‘I have always been confident in my technique and it is a case now of cutting out the loose shots.’

Hewitt and fellow opener Will Steward have given Burridge a sound start more often than not this season.

This has played an important role in the improvements made by a team who last season just avoided relegation.

Burridge are currently sitting third in the table – just behind their visitors – and captain Rick Ankers is in a confident mood.

‘We probably have our best chance for a while at beating Havant,’ said the skipper.

‘As a side we can bat deep and our two openers have done well for us.

‘Dan Hewitt is a good cricketer and has the perfect mentality to open up.

‘He might get beaten on the outside edge a couple of times but that doesn’t stop him going strong at the ball.

‘Our bowling attack has also proved very strong so far this season.

‘If I win the toss then I wouldn’t want to be Havant facing our opening bowlers.

‘There is a never-say-die attitude in our camp and we will need it against Havant.

‘Their side contains a lot of experience and they know how to get themselves into the driving seat to win games.

‘This is a game, though, that we feel we can win.’

Burridge are forced to make a number of changes for the T20 clash as several players, including Ankers, are unavailable.

They are booked on a 6am flight to Croatia for opening bowler Nick McMurray’s stag do.

‘The plan is to beat Havant and stay up all night celebrating before going straight to the airport,’ added Ankers.