Webmaster talks to Wicket-keeper batsman Nic Pothas
Pothas - "I just think, I've took a winter off where I went back home and did a lot of thinking, generally I am a hard worker, so I just bang my head against the wall, keep working hard hard hard
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Nic Pothas |
Pothas - "I just think, I've took a winter off where I went back home and did a lot of thinking, generally I am a hard worker, so I just bang my head against the wall, keep working hard hard hard. I realised after last season that this was a different kettle of fish if I wanted to play county cricket at the same level I did in South Africa, so I just a rest really, came back worked really hard with Paul Terry and Tony Middleton, John Crawley has been a big help as well. I came back with what I experienced in my first season and tried to just rectify a couple of things".
Webmaster - "Did you change your technique much?"
Pothas - "My technique has changed a bit, I changed my backlift a little bit, and just tend let the ball come a bit more, hit it a little bit later. Obviously in South Africa with the wickets that much harder we can go at the ball a bit more, but that wasn't going to work here as I experienced in my first year".
Webmaster - "You are a little bit of a mystery to people here at Hampshire; they don't quite know where you come from and your background".
"Basically, I'm sure most people do know, I came under a Greek passport, I am from a Greek family and not a second generation. Only really my immediate family, my Mum and Dad and brother are from South Africa, the rest of the family are all in Athens. I went to a good very English school, King Edward VII in Jo'burg, and that's the reason I started playing cricket, if I had gone to a Greek School as my parents wanted, I would have probably ended up playing football or basketball. That's the reason for starting to play cricket.
From a cricketing point of view I just performed through school and academies, and everything happened from there. I always wanted to play cricket professionally, but just turned over from there. I have experienced 11 years of first-class cricket in South Africa going nowhere due to politics, I managed to get myself into three One-Day Internationals so I had played for my country which was an honour, but when you get out of bed in the morning, really train hard in the gym, I needed a reason to be doing it. I came across here and have been well accepted, I really love it here at Hampshire, and I am here to stay.
Webmaster - "So you have made some new friends here in Hampshire, not just at the cricket?"
Pothas - "Very much so, I have bought a property here now, I have also started a business here with my brother, we supply the clothing for Hampshire through Chase Sports, so pretty well starting up a life here really.
Webmaster - "Having established yourself here in Hampshire, despite your EEC passport, do you harbour any ambition of playing for England?"
Pothas - "I think after this season, due to having played those One Day Internationals, I still have two years before I could qualify, but I have every intention if good enough down the line, that I would like to play for England, very much so".
Webmaster - "So you have become a reborn Englishman?"
Pothas - "Very much so, the cold doesn't bother me in the winter here, I enjoy England and plan to stay".
Webmaster - "Thank you for your time and good luck with your ambitions".
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