‘I never thought I’d keep my place in the side for as long as I have’ – Hampshire bowler John Turner

‘I first came over in 2018 for two weeks, just to see Hampshire, experience it, and see what it was all about. My coach at school in South Africa was Dale Benkenstein (former first team coach at

Hampshire) so that was the connection.

‘From there they were quite keen for me to come back and see if I was good enough to make it or not. I was meant to come over in 2020, but that didn’t happen because of covid, so I came in 2021 and was fortunate enough to get a contract and play in the 50-over competition.

‘My first impression of Hampshire was that everyone was really welcoming and made me feel at home. That and how professional the club was.

‘I was someone none of them knew – it wasn’t like I had much of a record to my name – so for everyone to make me feel as welcome as they did was quite special.

‘My first wicket was Sir Alastair Cook. It was quite surreal. It is something you always dream of. To be able to do that in my first over in my first professional game was something I will always

remember. No matter what happens in my career, I’ll be telling my children about that when I’m 50 or 60- years-old.

‘One of the goals this season was to try and break into the side and see if I could make a contribution; I never thought I’d keep my place in the side for as long as I have.

‘I’m enjoying the moment as much as I can, trying not to get too far ahead of myself, and just take it a ball at a time.

‘As a young player one of the major benefits of playing at Hampshire is the experience we have. If you look at our red ball team we’ve got Kyle Abbott, Mo Abbas, and Keith Barker, and all three of them have been really good to me - just helping me learn and get better at what I do.

‘And at the moment (during the Vitality Blast T20 campaign) I’ve got Nathan Ellis, Chris Wood, and Benny Howell. Being able to learn from guys who have done it year after year and been so successful makes it a perfect position to be in as a youngster trying to start a career in the game.

‘Graeme Welch (Hampshire’s bowling lead coach) has also been really good to me; we have a really good connection. In terms of my bowling but also just life in general, he has been massive for me. All the coaches have, whether that’s Jimmy Adams, Adrian Birrell – they’ve all played a big role.

‘The culture here is driven by senior players and the coaching staff. Everyone realises the way we want to go about things – to play fearless cricket, but smart cricket.

‘We’ve got Glamorgan on Friday night then Gloucestershire on Sunday afternoon. If we can win both games that will be another step closer to finals day.

‘To be involved in finals day would be an unbelievable experience. The last two finals day I have been in the stands watching it, so to be able to experience it on the field, to experience the

atmosphere, it would be great.’

Hampshire Hawks are in T20 action at The Ageas Bowl against Glamorgan on Friday night and then again on Sunday against Gloucestershire. Tickets for both games are still available at

www.ageasbowl.com.