Devon Cricket Board - Burke looking to re-ignite First Class career

Burke looking to re-ignite First Class career

By RICHARD WALSH
DEVON all-rounder James Burke has been training at the County Ground with the Somerset squad ahead of flying out to South Africa early in the New Year to play the rest of the season in Cape Town.
Burke who graduated through the Somerset Academy is a batting all-rounder, and was on the playing staff with the Cidermen in 2009 but was dogged by injury.
Although Burke (pictured, right) has continued to play for Devon in Minor Counties cricket and for Budleigh Salterton in the Devon League, he drifted out of the First Class game.
Burke spent last winter playing for Montrose in South Africa, where he enjoyed success, and last summer became a regular with Somerset 2^nd XI, where he continued his run of form.
In all formats of the game Burke scored over 500 runs at an average of 31.11 and took 12 wickets at 49 more than each, and now he has decided to try to rekindle his career in county cricket.
The 22 year old said: “I have decided to go back to South Africa and join up with the club I was with last year and play half the season with them out there in the sun and hopefully get some runs and wickets under my belt.
“I had a pretty decent season when I was away in Cape Town playing for Montrose and stayed pretty injury free, but probably didn’t get as much training done as I would have liked, but obviously I had to do other things because I wasn’t on the staff at Somerset.
“I was also working for a physics degree with the Open University, which was quite challenging, but I’m enjoying it as well.
Burke went on: “I’m 22 now and ideally I would really like to give it another try this coming season, which is why I’m going back out to South Africa. Last summer I had other commitments as well, but this coming season I’m going to give it another proper go.
“When I go back out to Cape Town I am going to work really hard and then when I come back here later on in March I can hit the ground running.”
Where does Burke see his future taking him?
“At the moment I am planning to remain with Somerset because I love it here and they were my first club and have been very good to me, so if the opportunity is there then I will take it.
“However I have look after myself and if my chance comes along somewhere else then I will take it.
“If all goes well then hopefully I won’t be playing too much club cricket, but at the moment I am planning to carry on with Budleigh Salterton where I was last season. Playing club cricket is good practice but it is quite a long way off the professional game.
“In terms of developing my game I was planning to focus more on what I can do with Somerset and playing Minor County cricket for Devon, which I did last year.”
Burke talked about his injuries and said: “I have been fairly unlucky with injuries and they have always come along when I was starting to get back, but touch wood it all seems to have settled down for me, my back has settled down and I have stopped growing.
“I am really enjoying doing my degree because it gets you away and gives you a different perspective on things, and makes you appreciate how good a life style being a cricketer is.”
He added: “So instead of doing cricket for the sake of it, because it is what I have always done, I really want to do it even more now and can’t wait to get going again next year.

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