Gareth Berg starts a new chapter in his long and illustrious cricket career when he leads Lymington out for the first time at Bashley on Saturday. The former Middlesex, Hampshire and Northants all rounder has skippered Italy in various ICC competitions, but hasn’t captained any of his county or club sides on a regular basis. “I’ve always been a vice captain” he said, “but having been the captain of Italy for the past six years I’ve come to realise I enjoy captaincy and I feel I’m a decent leader. I'm really looking forward to the challenge”.

So what sort of captain can Lymington’s players expect this season? “My captaincy will be the same for Lymington as it was for Italy, ie. lead by example and expect high standards. As a captain I lean on senior players a lot, and ultimately I want a leadership group to be thinkers and come up with solutions with me and together we make decisions. But my decisions will be final as it’s ultimately it’s my responsibility”.

Does Bergy have a particular style he wants his team to play… will we be seeing ‘Bergball' at the Sports Ground?! “Ha, no not at all. We’ll have a blueprint or brand of cricket we will play as a team and as a club, which I believe is to go and win every game we can, be smart and read the game and situations well, and react fast to anything that’s in our way”. He added, “as a club we want to see trophies that’s for sure, but in doing so we need to create a winning mentality and make sure as cricketers we believe in our abilities and have the confidence to execute our skills well”.

Team spirit is a major part of Bergy’s philosophy. “Togetherness for me is a big one. There’s only two certainties in this world…. the sky and the earth. If we enjoy each others’ successes and also friendships we are on the right path. After we are all done playing we will be dust in the wind, so enjoy the days of cricket and being together”.

In a professional career that spanned three decades the Cape Town born all-rounder played under such eminent cricketers as James Vince at Hampshire and Ed Joyce and Eoin Morgan at Middlesex. But it was another Middlesex captain who Bergy lists as his favourite ever skipper. "Australian Chris ‘Buck’ Rogers was one hell of a leader. He fought hard and played positive cricket. It was enjoyable off the field too”.

Unlike many professional cricketers who give up playing when their county careers end, even at 44 years of age Bergy still seems to have the fitness, drive and ambition to keep going. At what point does he think he might hang up his boots and retire to the bar? “Not too sure yet” he says, “one thing is for sure, I’ve still got that fire in the belly. When that desire of wanting to do well and keeping high standards dissipates then I guess I need to re-evaluate my role”.

It's not just on the field that Bergy has been making his mark on Lymington Cricket Club. In preparation for the new season he donned his overalls to paint the sightscreens and tidy up the nets, and he's keen to immerse himself in all the club's activities. But having lived in the famous old sailing town for a while now, has Bergy been tempted to buy a yacht? “I’m not really into yachts" he laughed, "but possibly a jet ski and a motorboat will be next on the cards! Lymington is a beautiful town and our family have thrived living here”.