A FORMER Gwent player, in his first full season in county cricket, could propel himself towards England recognition over the next four days.

And, in doing so, he could leapfrog over a player who once blocked his progress at Glamorgan and who was also a club team-mate.

The player concerned is Kent wicketkeeper Geraint Jones and his former team-mate at Abergavenny was England Academy player Mark Wallace.

Ironically, it was Wallace who recommended he write to Kent for a trial after he had had a few Glamorgan Seconds games but could see no way forward.

He got the trial, impressed Kent's hierarchy and had a few first team games last season, before this season, taking over from Paul Nixon, who could not agree a new county contract.

The result has been a super campaign for the 27-year-old, who has played 16 first-class games.

He has scored 864 county championship runs to be sixth in the averages with 61.71 and has taken catches galore, included six in one innings against Essex to earn himself his county cap.

Now he faces the South African tourists tomorrow with four days to prove his growing England credentials as a replacement to the soon to retire or dropped Alec Stewart.

"Nottinghamshire's Chris Read, Essex' James Foster and Wally are all probably still ahead of me," said Jones, "but competition is good for you and it's nice to think a full winter's tour with England could be on the agenda.

"It's nice to be in with a chance and I still have to pinch myself when I think how quickly things have come round.

"But you mustn't let thoughts of England take over because that's when your performances drop off and it's important to play well at this time of the year because that's when you get noticed for tours."

Jones, whose father Emrys was a striker at Cardiff and played cricket for Blaenau Ffestiniog, arrived in Wales four years ago after being born in Papua New Guinea and brought up in Australia.

He came to Britain and stayed with Glamorgan opener Steve James' parents in Lydney where he first played club cricket before moving to Bristol and joining Clevedon.

In his three seasons there, he played as a bowler before moving to Abergavenny, where a lot of the time he had to play second fiddle to Wallace.

He had taken up catering in Brisbane but later passed a course as a pharmacist's technician while working for Abergavenny club president Brian Shackleton, a chemist.

And it was while with Abergavenny that his cricket career took off.

He explained: "I became friendly with Mark Wallace and had a couple of games for Glamorgan Seconds. I was interested in going into county cricket (he was good enough to play first grade cricket in Australia) and it was he who suggested I try Kent."

Four first-class games last season produced a batting average of 54 but this summer he has gone from strength to strength, scoring his maiden first-class century against Leicestershire and 108 not out against Essex.

England selector Rodney Marsh, himself a wicketkeeper, recently visited him to show England's interest and Jones is now keeping his fingers crossed.

"I have never felt any real ties with Australia," he said. "The only one really is my accent.

"Dad speaks and teaches Welsh and, while I don't speak the language, I always lean towards Wales. In cricketing terms, that means playing for England."