A TEN-MAN squad of Kent cricketers will be put through strenuous fitness drills at next week’s pre-season training trip to Vale do Lobo in Portugal.

The party will leave Canterbury at 4am on Monday morning for an early flight to the Barringtons Golf and Health Spa Hotel in the Algarve.

Captain Rob Key, fresh from a month’s training in Australia, will lead the trip which includes Matthew Walker, Geraint Jones, James Tredwell, Joe Denly, Neil Dexter, Simon Cook, Martin Saggers, Amjad Khan and Darren Stevens.

The party will also include Kent’s new strength and conditioning coach James Butterfield and coaching staff Graham Ford, Simon Willis and Phil Relf.

Coaching co-ordinator Willis said: “The guys will be working on stamina and fitness every morning as the starting point to their pre-season then, when we get back to Canterbury, we’ll be concentrating more on their cricket skills.”

The trip won’t be all hard work, however, as Kent’s players can also look forward to go karting and paint balling sessions during their five-day stay.