WORCESTERSHIRE batsman Tom Fell has targeted more than 1,000 runs in the County Championship this season to boost his chances of international honours.
The exciting potential Fell possesses was there for all to see two years ago when he topped four figures in terms of runs in Division One of the County Championship.
A century in the opening game against visiting Yorkshire earned lavish praise from the then Tykes coach Jason Gillespie and two more followed against Middlesex at Uxbridge and New Road.
But Fell knows he has to get back into the habit of building on promising starts to innings – a trait which he felt deserted him to a large extent in 2016.
Fell’s well-documented and ultimately successful battles against a double bout of cancer meant he missed the opening half of last season.
He quickly slotted back in and a first century since his return against Lancashire in the Royal London One-Day Cup earned a standing ovation on an emotional day at New Road.
But Fell feels he got out too often when looking set for a sizeable contribution in 2016 and he is keen to put that right.
“There were a lot of positives to take from it in that I managed to get myself scores consistently but a little bit disappointing that I wasn’t able to kick on for a really big one,” he said.
“I had quite a few innings where I felt really good and then it was a case almost of one shot too many.
“You get into that routine of building innings and scoring big runs. I almost got out of that habit.
“I got a lot of starts and felt good but at the end of the day it’s not really any use to anyone if you get 30 and out all the time.
“Those are what everyone looks at, the big hundreds, which I wasn’t able to do but there were still a lot of positives to take.”
The brave batsman admitted his 2015 exploits would always serve as a confidence boost but hoped it would soon become the norm.
“I think that is something to kind of build upon and try and make that a regular feature of my seasons, getting that 1,000 run mark and averaging 40-plus,” he said.
“Last season was always a little bit of a write-off in the sense of my international aspirations but there is still plenty of time in my career.
“I was part of the ECB Scholarship going out to Perth in Australia so it was nice knowing I was in their minds for potentially going on a tour at some stage.
“Hopefully that will continue and if I can keep doing well and start again this year and do well, hopefully those sort of things can take care of themselves.”
