After injury ruled Will Davis out of most of last season, the fast bowler says he is back stronger and targeting a place in the 2018 season opener against Middlesex.
The 22-year-old made a good start to the 2017 season, returning 13 wickets in the first two Specsavers County Championship matches, before injury left him sidelined for most of the remainder of the summer.
But following successful rehab and a good pre-season, the tall quick is hoping to cement a place in the first team in the face of healthy competition in the form of international bowlers, Hardus Viljoen, Ravi Rampaul and Duanne Olivier.
He said: “I was happy with the start of the season, but obviously it was a frustrating season as a whole. My bowling felt good, so it was a shame the injury came when it did and kept me out for so long.
“Hopefully that is in the past now and I’m looking forward to 2018. I’ll take learnings from it and the knowledge of how far to push my body, particularly during pre-season. I feel stronger and more prepared for the summer now.
“Everyone wants to get in that first game. Obviously it’s going to be a tough game, perhaps one of the toughest we’ll face.
“We’ve signed a few bowlers so there’s a competition for places, but at the same thime it’s also a great opportunity for myself and the other youngsters to learn from bowlers with more experience.
“Of course I want to be in that opening game, but if not then I’ve got to do what I can do in training and the second team to work my way in.
“The healthy competition pushes me on. We all want to win games for Derbyshire, so it’s only a good thing that we’ve got competition for places and it should push the team on towards success.”
With 12 first-class matches and 38 wickets under his belt, Davis has quickly established himself as a reliable red ball bowler. But with a squad aiming for success in all formats, he wants to learn from the experienced bowlers in the squad and push for a place in all forms.
He added: “They’ve all got experience in different formats of the game and that’s what I want to learn more, to push myself forward in white ball competitions as well as red ball.
“I’ve felt like I’ve been close to getting games and then suffered injuries and setbacks so this season I want to show what I can do over a long period of time and push for places.”
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