CRAIG Spearman is revelling in his middle order role for Gloucestershire at the moment, writes Rob Iles
The New Zealander has been batting at four in the Friends Provident Trophy this season instead of his accustomed opening position that he has obtained for most of his career, and it has been working like magic.
He has been the Gladiators' hero twice in the last week, as his unbeaten 66 against Glamorgan at Cardiff on Friday was followed by his superb knock of 140 not out against Somerset at Bristol on Sunday, which he described as his second best ever.
Spearman, 35, is loving his new role of taking the spin bowlers head on when he arrives at the crease, and admits he finds it easier than batting at the top of the order.
He said: "It's worked very well and it's obviously easier than facing the new ball - it's a new challenge for me."
"It brings on a lot more responsibility as well about batting through longer. You could go out there and instead of 0-0 it could be 10-2 or 200-2 so it's a lot different.
"I also enjoy that when you field you've got longer until you bat, so you get to eat more at lunch," he joked.
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On Sunday, Spearman rescued Gloucestershire from a precarious looking position as at one stage they needed 132 to win from 18 overs with just four wickets left.
With help from Steven Adshead at the other end, he played a remarkable innings, as the Gladiators did not lose another wicket and won with ten balls to spare against close rivals Somerset.
On a personal level, the 143 not out against Yorkshire in the C&G trophy semi-final of 2004 was still Spearman's highlight, although Sunday's innings was not far behind.
"I was there when we needed 250 and it came down to about 60 and I thought don't look at the scoreboard," Spearman said as he replayed his heroics.
"When that happens and all of a sudden you become favourites to win the match, that's when the pressure comes back on you so that's when we had to maintain our composure, and it's nice to get the last 10 or 12 runs knowing your going to win."
"When Steve came out I took a few risks and got a few boundaries which came off which maintained the rate we were going. I don't even know who we had batting after that so I knew the importance of it."
The Gladiators are now in a good position to qualify for a home quarter-final from the South-West division, and Spearman believes they can go all the way.
He said: "We think we can win any one-day competition but we want to get a home quarter-final."
Gloucestershire captain Jon Lewis missed Sunday's game against Somerset with a groin strain but is expected to play in the Liverpool Victoria County Championship match against Worcestershire on Wednesday.
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