English County player Tom Fell in SA to train at Darren Lehmann Academy and play for Sturt

ENGLISH cricketer Tom Fell hopes experience fending off 140km/h bouncers from Australian Test paceman Ryan Harris will stand him in good stead this Grade season for Sturt.

IMAGINE facing Australian Test paceman Ryan Harris as he steams in and unleashes a 140km/h delivery.

Then consider if Aussie captain Michael Clarke ordered Harris to bowl bouncer after bouncer at your body because you have been caught smirking when perhaps you should not have.

This is what Sturt District Cricket Club's new English recruit Tom Fell says happened to him in one of his first games for County side Worcestershire in the UK in July.

The 20-year-old Middlesex-born batsman was playing against Australia in a tour match ahead of the first Ashes Test and copped some unexpected chin music in the second innings.

He survived and went on to make a determined 62 not out.

"Ed Cowan was at short leg, he got hit ... and it looked quite painful but I kind of had a little smirk on my face because that kind of thing is usually quite amusing," Fell recalls.

"Clarke and (Brad) Haddin came up to me and were saying they were going to get Harris to come around the wicket and ... then see who's laughing.

"I didn't have much to say to that.

"Harris did (bowl bouncers) but luckily the wicket was quite slow so it wasn't too bad."

Three-Test paceman Jackson Bird had dismissed Fell for one in the first innings but the No. 6 batsman responded with the best knock of his short career in the second dig.

He says the performance kickstarted his County season, which ended with an average of 34.07 from 10 matches and a top score of 94 not out.

"It was obviously the best attack I've ever played against by quite a long way.

"It was really excited when I found out I was going to be playing against them but also quite daunting.

"You look behind you when you're batting and there's people like Shane Watson and Michael Clarke.

"You have to block it out as much as you can otherwise it can get to you.

"I thought I was maybe out of my depth but that sort of innings gives you all the confidence you need."

Fell will be in Adelaide until March, splitting his time between the Darren Lehmann Academy and Sturt.

He hopes to average at least 40 for the Blues before returning to the UK and reasserting himself at Worcestershire.

"I want to back up last County season with another decent year," he says.

His long-term plan is to play for England in an Ashes Test.

"But I don't want to look too far ahead."