2005 Hero Looks for Repeat Performance

Aug 9 2007

In the 2005 C&G Final, Sean Ervine’s century set up Hampshire’s victory. Is it possible that the same thing could happen again?

Sean has just returned from injury, so first off I had to find out if he’s fully fit. His ‘yes’ is unequivocal: “I have been for the last two and a half weeks. I did have a torn tendon – the one that joins the big toe to the main foot – and I was out for three weeks. But I’m fully fit now.” Which is a big relief for Hampshire fans, as well as for Sean himself.

So, having been Man of the Match in 2005, what lessons from that experience will he be taking into the Final on Saturday? “Basically, just to bat with freedom. It’s one thing I did really well in that game, and if I could repeat what I did then it would be fantastic. I’ll try my best but we’ll have to see what happens.”

Does it help with mental preparation knowing what he’s achieved before? “Yes, it does. It makes a big difference. Not just for this game coming up, either. To know that I’d made big scores in both the final and the semi was great for my career.” And is mental preparation important to Sean? “All cricketers have to work at it. But the one thing that’s really hard for me is that I have to do double what everyone else has to do, being an all rounder. So that does take a lot of time and effort.”

Having put in the hard hours in the nets, what does Sean hope for from this year’s Friends Provident Final? “If everybody plays their part on the day then we should come out on top. It would be fantastic if I could get another hundred too.”

It would be a shame to finish the interview without a little reminiscence back to 2005. What were Sean’s best moments? “Hitting the ball down to mid off and celebrating my hundred. And when Chris Tremlett bowled Ntini, the stumps flying everywhere – that was fantastic!”

I will be reporting live on the website from the Friends Provident Final so that Hampshire fans who are following the match on the internet can share in the atmosphere of being at the big game. Coverage will begin at around ten o’clock and be updated regularly throughout the day.