There are worse ways to spend a winter.

A few months in New Zealand, an Ashes test match in Melbourne, and one on one coaching sessions with a former international.

So, it’s fair to say that when the ‘beast from the east’ played havoc with Wales this month, leaving thousands snowed in, stranded, or simply shivering to the core – it was the recently returned Andrew Salter who had a ruder awakening than most.

“I came back to the snow and thought this is a joke,” laughed the Glamorgan cricketer – one of Pembrokeshire’s true sporting success stories having risen through the junior ranks at St Ishmaels CC.

“I couldn’t leave the house for about three days.”

It was a far cry from the ‘windy city’ of Wellington, where Salter was based from October until early March. It was a cultural experience he is only too happy to laud, albeit via a fairly unique analogy.

“The place is like Wales on steroids.

“It’s a beautiful country and I was lucky to be able to travel a bit and see a lot of the South Island. I can’t speak highly enough of the people and the culture.”

And there was a time for a dash over the Pacific Ocean for the Ashes Boxing Day test, ironically one England didn’t lose with Alastair Cook’s double hundred a rare highlight in their 4-0 series defeat.

But enough focus on the recreational side of things. There was of course, a very purposeful reason behind the 24-year-old’s stay abroad – as he strives to continue his development in County Cricket and eventually push towards international recognition.

Having previously experienced grade cricket in Adelaide and Sydney, Salter travelled to New Zealand as part of an ECB scholarship scheme, spending a season playing both one and two-day formats for Johnsonville CC in the Wellington Premier League.

Midweek, he attended training sessions with the Wellington Firebirds, one of the country’s six first class sides, where he was given tuition by former Black Caps spinner Jeetan Patel.

With 130 international wickets to his name – it’s fair to say Patel knew what he was talking about.

“It’s hard to put into words how helpful he was to me,” admitted Salter.

“I felt I left New Zealand in a very good place. The wickets were very green and good for a spinner to bowl on, and closer to English conditions than Australia was.

“Those pitches were a lot more batsmen friendly and tricky to bowl on, and scoring rates were high. But in New Zealand par scores were lower.”

Salter’s stats certainly point towards a player who will start the English summer in good nick with bat and ball. Bowling wise, he averaged 20.39 (one day) and 32.22 (two day) in both formats, with best figures of 3-13 and 5-65 respectively.

With the bat he also flourished, finishing with a one day average of 47 and a top score of 86 not out, and in the longer matches averaged 50.25, with an unbeaten 94 the highlight.

And he hinted at more time abroad in the future, whilst recommending such ventures to other youngsters looking to make strides in the professional game.

“It’s a great experience for anyone,” he said.

“It helps you grow up as a cricketer. At Glamorgan, I looked at people like Mark Wallace who went abroad and experienced other cultures.

“The pressure is different as an overseas player and the more time I’ve spent doing it the more I’ve felt comfortable in the role. You work with new coaches and players, and try and become part of a successful side in a different environment.

“And it’s one of the nice things about cricket – the game follows the sun.”

Perhaps the latter statement isn’t always the case in the UK, but Salter’s thoughts, along with those of his Glamorgan team mates, are now firmly on their domestic campaign that starts with a County Championship game at Gloucestershire on April 20th.

Last season, it was Salter whose heroic late blast nearly saw The Dragons into the T20 Final at Edgbaston as they lost out to the Birmingham Bears, and he says squad preparations are already well underway as they look to challenge for honours again in 2018.

Australian star Shaun Marsh will bolster the ranks, while former head coach Matthew Maynard has returned to the club as a consultant to current boss Robert Croft.

And Salter says it’s a move that will only serve to motivate the players.

“It’s nice to be back after five months away and it’s an exciting time for us.

“Matthew coming back brings a fresh feel to things and we are ready to go – now let’s just hope the weather improves.”

That of course, will be out of the control of Salter and co, but it’s clear the all rounder is settled, focused and composed as he looks to again play an integral role in Croft’s squad in all three formats.

Sometimes, it really does serve to escape the winter……..