THE boys are keen to get that blue kit on again this evening and hopefully we can enjoy a successful night at a place that holds so many happy memories after last season.

We start the NatWest t20 Blast at the Ageas Bowl against a strong Hampshire side in front of big crowd.

It's exciting and the way that we performed there at the end of 2013 gives us reason to be optimistic.

Not many people gave us a chance when we took on Hampshire at their place in the semi-finals of the YB40 but we beat them to earn a trip to Lord's, leading to unforgettable celebrations.

Unfortunately it was Nottinghamshire that lifted the trophy but the boys have had a taste of being in a showpiece game and will want a repeat.

I think that last year showed we have a strong side and a nice blend of youth and experience when playing with the white ball.

As ever with one-day cricket, all-rounders will have a big part to play and we've got two excellent ones in Jim Allenby and Graham Wagg who can have an impact with both bat and ball.

I know that the counties have worked hard to rejig the t20 schedule and are looking to get plenty of people in the stands by having regular Friday night slots.

I am sure that if we can get off to a good start then the Swalec Stadium will be jam-packed and that's great for the players.

The t20 is certainly a change from the County Championship. We've not been at our best so far in the four-day format but we've got away with some draws to keep us in touch with the teams at the top.

There's so much more to come from us; the runs will come soon for Murray Goodwin and Jacques Rudolph while Michael Hogan will be back from paternity leave to lead our attack.

One massive positive from the season so far has been the batting of Will Bragg, who is third on the Division Two runs chart with 429 (averaging 53.62).

It's good to see another Gwent boy doing so well and he is working really hard to establish himself in the side. I know he is keen to post some really big scores and a few centuries but if he keeps going like this then he'll easily pass 1,000 runs.

That would help the team in our target for seven wins that should earn promotion – and six from our 11 games is not beyond us.