PIERRE Joubert may have only arrived in Burnley the day before the start of the season but he has wasted little time in making his mark.
Burnley's new pro has made an immediate impact in the Transco Lancashire League with innings of 71 not out against Bacup and then 104 against Enfield.
His participation in a cup final with his South African side, Northern Titans, and a subsequent fitness check on the Wednesday before the start of the Lancashire League season meant it was touch and go whether he would make it in time.
"I had to get flights sorted out, I eventually got here and the next day I was up against the champions (Bacup)," he explained. "My legs felt like jelly and it was quite a start but things have been going nicely for me.
"What we need to do now is start winning a few games but I am sure that we will."
His bright start is a continuation of his good form from South Africa where he averaged 41 with the bat and took 17 wickets at 29.
Unfortunately although he has starred for Burnley they haven't yet been able to force a win.
But in the two games he has been getting to know his new team mates and he has already been impressed by several of them.
"The club has got some good young guys coming through. James Anderson has impressed me a lot, Jonathan Clare and David Brown also look good.
But everyone can play and we just have to put it together."
Having played successfully for four seasons with Delph in the Huddersfield League, he is happy to be trying his luck in Lancashire having taken advice from fellow professionals before joining Burnley. "It was Martin van Jaarsveld, the pro at Enfield, who got in contact with me and former Burnley player Anthony Botha also told me it was a good club to be at," he said.
"When you are away from home for four months that is important and everything I have heard seems to be true."
Van Jaarsveld and Lowerhouse's Jacques Rudolph are both team mates of Joubert with the Northern Titans and he is living with the latter.
"We have known each other since we were 12, a long time before we played together for Titans," he said.
Joubert was set to be in action at Ramsbottom today while the weekend double header will be completed with a home game against Colne tomorrow.
It is a hectic start to his Burnley career and having had no holiday since the end of the season in South Africa, Joubert has admitted that he is taking things a bit easier at the moment before getting back to the hard work in the gym in a couple of weeks time.
"Jacques and I agreed to start gyming on May 13 and at the moment we are just looking after ourselves," he said. "But I do feel fit and I have no problems whatsoever - apart from the weather.
"Even though I have been over here for the past few years I have never been as cold as I have been in the last few weeks. I came from playing in Durban where it was humid and walked straight into this."
But the cold and the rain has not dampened his enthusiasm and he has already shown he will score runs and take wickets come rain or shine.
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