DAVID Masters believes he can emulate his form of last season when he finished as the leading wicket-taker in the country.

The Essex opening bowler claimed 93 victims in the county championship last summer, including a career best 8 for 10 against Leicestershire at Southend, to finish third in the national averages.

Masters said: “You need a bit of luck to get 93 wickets, but you have always got to look to better yourself and to do better than what you can.

“If you get a bit of luck along the way then it is always possible to top it. You get better with age they say and as long as I don’t start going the other way I will look to try and better the 93 wickets.

“I have always been quite a confident person and I do believe I could take more than 93 wickets, but history shows not many people do that.

“I always look at 50 wickets a year as a good season for a bowler, and any more is a bonus, so hopefully I will get to 50 wickets first and if I have got more games left then I will try to get as many as I possibly can.”

Despite being the wrong side of 30, the former Kent and Leicestershire bowler has no qualms about his fitness.

“I work as a builder in the winter which I have always said keeps me fit and strong and I have been lucky over the years to not get too many injuries, as well as learning about my body and slight niggles and playing through them.

“People keep saying there is an injury around the corner and I say I won’t get injured, but I really enjoy my cricket and if I am fit enough to play I will always play.

“I am 33 now but I want to play until I am 40 if I can. I have got a three-year contract, so I have got to last for at least another three years before I snap in half!

“I would like to play those three years and then keep on going if I am fit enough and not standing in some youngster’s way.”

In Tymal Mills and Reece Topley Essex have two of the most promising young quick bowlers in the country, and Masters is more than happy to pass on advice to them.

“I give them as much as I possibly can. It is hard as we have obviously got our bowling coach and you don’t want to be giving younger lads too much information to take in, but when I am out there I look after them as much as I possibly can as well as looking after my own game.

“They are two very promising youngsters and we have also got Maurice Chambers who has bowled really well in pre-season. He is looking in really good nick and the ball is coming out really well for him.

“We have got a very good balance this year with Charl Willoughby coming in. His stats prove that he is a very good bowler

He has bowled on the flatest wicket in the country (Taunton) and taken 50 or 60 wickets a year for the last six or seven years.

“We have got three senior bowlers and three younger lads and I think it is a really good mix. Hopefully everyone stays fit and we can rotate the bowlers to try to keep everyone fresh.”