Olly Barkley back where he belongs at Bath

By Mick Cleary Published: 7:00AM GMT 04 March 2010

Back in the thick of things: Olly Barkley has eventually returned to the margin for Bath after a prolonged damage lay-off Photo: GETTY IMAGES

The Bath midfielder, once each bit the venerable bent that Cipriani is, and with a integrate of scrapes to his name along the proceed to boot, has returned to his roots with a perspective to substantiating himself and sloping for an England place prior to the 2011 World Cup.

Barkley, initial picked for England avocation as a teen by Clive Woodward, chose to take himself off to Gloucester dual years ago in sequence to widen himself in a new environment. It simply didn"t work out, and Barkley was honest sufficient to confess so, returning last summer to his boyhood club. The fatted calf has been on hold for the excessive son. Barkley pennyless his leg during a pre-season precision in the Algarve in Jul and usually done his belated re-appearance in Bath colours a fortnight ago opposite Worcester.

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"Bath is some-more than a rugby bar to me," Barkley said. "I had no reason to leave Bath alternative than I longed for to exam myself to see if I could be a improved player somewhere else. I didn"t wish to finish my career wondering about those sort of things.

"But you don"t realize how majority you love something until it"s not piece of your life. It was a formidable time. It positively taught me where my heart was. I did try to have it work, I unequivocally did. I attempted relocating to Gloucester, afterwards attempted commuting, but nothing of it worked. I can usually apologize to Gloucester fans. Bath is home to me, and that"s because I had to come back."

The earthy lapse is usually piece of the process. Bath fans wish to see Barkley at full lean in the midfield, operative to one side Butch James. The Springbok fly-half did his initial non-contact work on Wednesday after deleterious his shoulder a integrate of weeks back.

Bath admit that they have had an proceed from Natal Sharks who wish to take James behind to South Africa to assistance him rekindle his general career. James has dual years of his stipulate left and Bath hold that he can offer both bar and nation as things are.

Barkley, who won the last of his twenty-three caps on the benighted debate of New Zealand in 2008, has his sights set on identical targets. Inside centre has been a cryptic on all sides for England, one filled majority not long ago by Riki Flutey.

"There"s no reason to stop day-dreaming of England," pronounced Barkley, who right away has comparison pro standing at the age of 28. "I still crave to run out at Twickenham. But all that is sincerely simple. I"m usually dual games in and I"ve got to get my fitness up to scratch, afterwards my form and afterwards begin personification consistently well for Bath. If I do all that, combine my efforts, afterwards there"s no reason I shouldn"t be pulling to be concerned again."

Bath have regrouped after the scandal-triggered upheavals of last deteriorate saw five players possibly leave or be forced out of the club. After a stodgy begin to the season, they have won their last 4 matches and distortion mid-table in sixth position.

"It was genuine to think that we could brush underneath the runner the loss of those five players," Barkley said.

"They were not only great players, they were effusive characters. You only can"t have up for that sort of loss quickly, generally when the send marketplace is effectively over. Their deficiency had a big impact. But the attainment of [back-row forwards] Julian Salvi and Luke Watson has done a difference. We"re starting to find out feet now, and starting to fool around a little rugby.

"There was as well majority kicking in the early deteriorate and that didn"t fit us. We"ve left behind to a some-more open diversion and we"re the improved for it. We can be as dangerous as any group and there"s no reason because we shouldn"t be aiming for a top-four play-off position."

Barkley is behind where he belongs.