IT HAS definitely been a strange week for captains with Michael Vaughan and Paul Collingwood stepping down from their respective roles with England.

Plus our own David Hemp who, due to his commitments with Bermuda, was obliged to play in a World Twenty/20 Cup qualification tournament alongside Scotland, Ireland and Canada. David’s situation is clearer as he chose to play for Bermuda a few years ago.

I can also understand Michael Vaughan’s decision to stand down as England captain. He will be remembered for being England’s most successful captain in history and became a national hero when the Ashes were recaptured in 2005. It seems it has started to affect his life and his performances have probably not been as good as he hoped.

Some critics may say, ‘How hard can it be to captain your country?’ I think being England cricket captain must rank alongside being the England football manager in terms of pressure.

That’s the best way to try and make people understand the magnitude of the job. He has been a fantastic batsman for England in recent years and I hope he can come back into the England side and show everyone how good a player he is.

What I found strange, though, was the decision of Paul Collingwood to resign as one-day captain, although I wouldn’t be surprised if that wasn’t just his decision. He is a nice guy and I thought his hundred against South Africa last week was the best I have seen for a long time. To score a hundred on what could have been your last Test match showed great strength of character.

We kicked off our Pro 40 campaign against Surrey last week with a great win. It was seen as a big chance to push for a trophy this year. We made Surrey look like a poor side although they were missing a few key players.

Tom Maynard showed what a bright prospect he is with a fine innings and my old mate Mark Wallace proved to everyone that he is still in the running for an England call-up with a magnificent 85. It felt similar to the way we played in 2002 and 2004 when we were a successful side. Getting a good score on the board, taking early wickets and Robert Croft and Dean Cosker bowling tight in the middle overs.  The winning habit was continued when we travelled to Southend to play Essex. It was my turn to miss this game having played every other game this season. One of our new signings Adam Shantry came into the team. Adam bowls left arm seam and proved to be a good selection taking five wickets in the match to help us win the game. He is a nice person and the type you always want in your squad. He is what you call “a good team man.” Those of you in sports teams will understand what I mean.

As I was home for the week I was able to play some cricket for my club team, Panteg. It has been my club since I started playing over 20 years ago. It’s nice to go back and play as my family and friends are all involved.

Adam plays, dad watches and mum makes the tea! Of course mum makes the best sandwiches and cakes in the world. I also enjoy watching and helping some of the younger players who were in my position all those years ago. It’s something that I am interested in going into when I finish playing professionally.

Also this week I celebrated my 27th birthday. Apparently quite a shock to my team mates who thought I was more heading towards 37! In the morning I was sat in the dining room at Glamorgan treating myself to a piece of birthday toast, when I left to locate some butter. I came back and the room was full with smoke as my toast was on fire! Thirty seconds later the fire alarms in the new Swalec Stadium were sounding and the whole staff at the club were in single file outside ready for a head count with the fire brigade on the way!

Not the ideal way to start the day but it did put a smile on a few faces though I’m not sure the chief executive was too pleased! At least it works I suppose!

It’s that time of the year now when we travel up the A470 for five hours to Colwyn Bay for a home game! We actually stay in Llandudno about seven miles from the cricket ground in Colwyn. It can be a difficult journey through Mid Wales and it can also seem longer when you’re travelling with Dean Cosker and Ryan Watkins, both of whom think they are experts at singing in the car.

I don’t mind a little sing song myself, and have to admit I am pretty good but Dean and Ryan thought it was a good idea to sing for the whole five hours! First thing I bought when I got to the hotel was a packet of paracetemol for my head after listening to renditions of Westlife and the Village People!

Colwyn Bay is only a small club ground in North Wales but it holds good memories for me. It was where I found out my selection for the England A team in 2004 and where we captured the National One Day title the same year.

It is situated right on the coast and can give you the feeling that you are on holiday at times. It can be a popular place for our supporters as they use it for a holiday as well as watching the cricket. We take on Middlesex this week and after last weeks win we are confident of getting a good result that would take us up the table.

While I was rumbling through some rubbish in my garage this week I came across some old cricketing pictures. One caught my eye in particular. It was the Gwent U 11s team photo with me standing next to Daniel Gabbidon (Wales & West Ham).

I can remember him being a useful left arm seamer in those days. I think we can all say that he made the right choice in deciding to play football! His brother David tells me he’s injured at the moment so I wish him a speedy recovery.

We are away most weekends and I’m going to miss the weddings of two friends from my home town in Pontypool. Joel Griffin and Nathan Daniels will be getting married this weekend and I wish both of them and their families the very best for the future.