REECE Topley can be as good as he wants to be.

I think he’s just started to mature and add more consistency to his game, and he is a serious bowler now.

He bowled brilliantly against Worcestershire and that came on the back of him doing really well at Gloucestershire too.

When I look at Reece’s progression, it does remind me of when I was breaking through.

I was 20 when I started for Kent and I did well in my first season.

I think it will be next year and the year after where you will see how Reece really progresses, because at the moment he’s just going out and enjoying it.

And if he does kick-on again next year then that could open the door for him to move on to bigger and better things.

And when I look back at my early days, I think that’s where I went wrong.

I had my breakthrough and then I did not do the right things for two or three years after that, or have the right people around me telling me to do the right things.

Hopefully that’s where I can help Reece and make sure he benefits from my experience.

Reece is a lot more than a prospect now and if he stays on the right track he will soon be moving on to the next level.

WORCESTERSHIRE WIN KEEPS US IN THE HUNT

I THINK it was up there but we have played some really good stuff this year so it was one of many positive displays from us.

And if it hadn’t been for Lancs and Northants having such great years we would be in a great position to go up.

I think in the past couple of years 185 points have been good enough to go up and I’m confident we will pass that, but it will be no guarantee of promotion this time.

All we can do is win our games and see where that takes us.

If we win two of our last three games then I think we’ll be in with a good chance of getting promoted.

And if we don’t then I think we’ll be able to say we gave it a good shot.

Kent have not had the best of years in the Championship so it would be good to start our run-in with a win this week, especially as that will draw us up with Northants and put a bit of pressure on them.

With Kent we’ll just try to win it session by session.

I think the first innings will be the key, and if we bat we need to get a big score on the board to put them under pressure.

And with the likes of Monty Panesar, Graham Napier, myself and Reece Topley in our attack, we’ll back ourselves to put them under the cosh if we get the chance to bowl first.

FULL COLUMN IN WEDNESDAY'S ECHO