FOR the second season running, Kent County Cricket Club’s squad will be based in South Africa for their pre-season training camp. Inclement weather forced the county squad overseas last spring, but this winter the club’s committee have moved in advance to book a two-week training camp in Port Elizabeth.

Club captain Matthew Fleming and championship skipper David Fulton will lead the party who will again use the first-class facilities at the Eastern Province Cricket Academy, which is based at the City University.

The squad are scheduled to fly out from England on March 17, just two days after taking preliminary fitness tests at the St Lawrence ground in Canterbury. They will return on April 2, but will need to hit the ground running to prepare for their pre-season friendly schedule that starts later that week.

Kent are scheduled to play Essex at Chelmsford on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday April 7 and then welcome Gloucestershire to the St Lawrence ground for matches on Wednesday April 10 and Thursday April 11.

The side then start their first-class fixture list with a three-day friendly in Canterbury against the Loughborough University Cricketing Centre of Excellence which starts on Saturday, April 13.