By Jeremy Blackmore

WHILE many English batters have struggled in damp, bowler-friendly conditions this spring, Somerset’s 19-yearold batting prodigy James Rew credits his winter on hard Australian wickets for his success. After five rounds of the Championship, Rew topped the Division One run-scoring table with 539 runs including three centuries at an average of 67, after a winter playing club cricket in Sydney, culminating in two U-19 Test matches in Brisbane. He says the experience helped him prepare for batting on flat decks at Taunton. “I never thought this would...