Derek Kenway is back after four months with the England Academy in Australia - and is gunning for James Foster's one-day place.

Hampshire wicketkeeper-batsman Kenway arrived back in Southampton two weeks before the rest of the Rod Marsh-led Academy so he could join in his mum's 50th birthday celebrations.

Kenway's Academy colleagues, including Hampshire teammate Chris Tremlett, start the last game of the tour on Sunday - a four-day clash against Western Australia II in Perth - before they land at Heathrow on March 16.

Meanwhile, Kenway, 23, is already preparing to make himself England's one day wicketkeeper ahead of the 2003 World Cup.

Kenway, coached by former Aussie wicketkeeping legend Marsh Down Under, said: "Hopefully I'll get a one-day spot with England this summer. I worked quite a lot on my keeping with Rod and am looking to push that with the World Cup coming up.

"That was one of my main aims when I was out there. Obviously I've got to have a very good season this year getting on the England Academy tour helped get my foot in the door.

"I feel in good touch at the moment and as long as I perform I think I might have an opportunity because there is a spot there as a wicketkeeper-batsman."

Essex keeper Foster, expected to be handed a Test debut next week, made his one day international bow in Zimbabwe back in October.

His place was put under threat after a series of drops and missed stumpings and he was dropped after the first of five one-dayers against New Zealand last month.

Now stop gap keeper and opening bat Marcus Trescothick is complaining of burn-out after trying to juggle both roles. Kenway, who roomed with Lancashire ace Chris Schofield, shared wicket-keeping duties with Glamorgan's Mark Wallace and kept to the likes of Alex Tudor and Yorkshire tyro Steve Kirby.

He added: "Obviously Foster is a very good cricketer and I still see him as the number one at the moment so I've got to make sure I train twice as hard as I usually would.

"I've had reports back from David Graveney and Duncan Fletcher saying that they want me to work on my keeping as well as my batting.

"England are trying to inject young blood in the side and Chris Read will be in the frame as well as myself and Foster but I'm not going to worry about other people, I'm just going to get on with my job and score plenty of runs. I'm not a big target man but I'll be aiming for 1,000 runs in the championship this year as I always do."

Fareham-born Kenway heard about the signing of former South African one-day keeper Nic Pothas while out in Australia, but added: "I've been told that I'm going to keep in the one-dayers for Hampshire this summer and that's what I want to do. I'm not too fussed about keeping in four-day cricket.

Nic Pothas is mainly a batsman and his wicketkeeping will be a great asset to the squad in the long term. I think we're good enough to push for the championship and get promotion in the Sunday League this year. If we do, it'll be a great season for the club."

© Southern Daily Echo