Cameron Jeffers aims to impress at county trials with Derbyshire
Cameron Jeffers will be keen to impress the coaching staff during a trial with the Derbyshire 2nd XI on Sunday.
The Bermuda leg spinner feels good about his chances of securing a professional contract and is determined to make the most of the opportunity at The Elite Performance Centre at Incora County Ground in Derby.
“It’s always a bit of luck involved getting selected for pro cricket and for different counties and stuff like that,” Jeffers told The Royal Gazette. “But a lot of it is just down to me trying to represent myself the best way I can and let them make the final decision ultimately.”
It is the second trial the 22-year-old has been given in the past five months after being invited to try out for Worcestershire last September and while Jeffers was ultimately overlooked, he took many positives from the experience to bolster belief in his ability.
“The first trial at Worcestershire went really well, I bowled well and accounted for myself well,” he added. “I had some good positive feedback from the coaches about one minor tweak, but I feel I represented myself really well at that Worcestershire trial.
“That almost gave me the confidence I can breeze through trials, go there and perform to the best of my ability and then it’s just up to how it goes on the day.
“I think the first trial has set me up really nicely because not only did it give me feedback from professional coaches, but more eyes and ears in terms of what I can improve on and what’s probably making the difference in terms of making it to that level.
“It just helps my game overall but also calms me down a lot. It’s put me at ease and I feel real comfortable going into it.”
Jeffers came into his own with a string of outstanding performances with both bat and ball playing for Cowbridge Cricket Club in the South Wales Premier League second division last year.
Those displays led to him earning his first call-up to the Bermuda national side at the ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League B in Uganda and Jersey, which also helped bolster the player’s confidence in his ability to perform at that level.
“Playing internationally for the country helped a lot during the summer because it opened my eyes to what’s required to be successful at that standard,” Jeffers said. “It’s given me an indication that I am good enough to play at List A and professional standard, so it’s something I just want to run with.”
Jeffers, who plays for Eastern Counties champions Bailey’s Bay when on island, is among those battling for a spot in the 2024 T20 World Cup qualifiers this spring.
“The squad is not picked yet, but that’s definitely my goal,” he added. “My goal is to put in performances for my country and if I am selected I want to do well at international cricket; get my economy rate down, get my wickets up and do as well as I can for the country in hopes that I can assist with qualification.”
Jeffers said morale and the workrate is high among those committed to the new fitness regime introduced by coach Niraj Odedra.
“In general everybody is in pretty good spirits,” he added. “The boys are turning up to fitness and doing what they have to do to try to give the qualification push the best go, so I am hopeful about that. Whoever gets picked, I feel like all the boys are in position to do a job, which is what’s best for the country.”
Jeffers is also keen to showcase his talents in the Warwickshire County Cricket League for new club Handsworth should his trial at Derbyshire prove unsuccessful.
“It’s something that I am really looking forward to,” he said. “A new challenge playing on different pitches, having to adapt to pitches closer to the standard of international pitches than in Wales — Wales is quite slow and low.
“I am really excited and looking forward to the new challenge and trying to get them promoted into the Birmingham League, which is probably the strongest in the country.”