Newport back in swing

Anyone glancing at the averages going into the latest round of championship matches would have seen a familiar name back on top of the bowling section - after a year of injury torment.

Former England paceman Phil Newport missed two thirds of last season with an achilles problem which flared up on Worcestershire's pre-season trip to Barbados.

His guile and experience were desperately missed by a side already going through a rebuilding process after the glory years of Ian Botham and Graham Dilley.

But now 34-year-old Newport is back with no apparent ill effects and he has moved past the 800 first-class wickets mark and, with three years left of his contract, could conceivably reach the magical 1,000 figure.

A seven for 37 haul against county champions Leicestershire showed Newport has lost none of the skill which makes him arguably the best swing bowler in England given the right conditions.

Newport, who made his Test debut against Australia at Headingley in 1989, said: "Last season was so frustrating, and it's nice to be back playing. When you've had a time away you tend to enjoy it a bit more. Thankfully there has been no reaction to the injury. There have been a few niggles but nothing that has stopped me from playing, and I've been quite pleased with the way the bowling has gone generally.

"As a swing bowler you need to regain that rhythm and swing - and if you get that going you are going to get wickets on any surface. As long as there is a decent carry through to the wicketkeeper then I always fancy my chances. You might lose a little bit of zip as you get older but you can make up for that with experience."