WORCESTERSHIRE'S Gareth Batty admits to being a 'dreamer' - but he's very much a realist when it comes talking about England recognition.

The 25-year-old spinner knows full well that actions speak louder than words and to take his career a step further he needs to have another highly successful season at New Road.

And if the wickets continue to pile up the former Surrey campaigner could well find himself knocking on the door for an England call-up.

Yorkshire-born Batty has already tasted 'life at the top' by figuring in two matches for his country in the VB one-day series against the mighty Australians in Melbourne and Sydney during the winter.

Understandably, he was thrilled by the experience and now wants more of the same.

Batty began making the powers that be take notice by having an eye-catching first season for the County last year following a move from The Oval.

He ended up with 56 first-class wickets, 51 of them in the Championship.

It made him the first Worcestershire spinner to capture 50 scalps in the competition since Richard Illingworth bagged 71 in 1990.

Indeed, it was such a fruitful campaign for Batty that he found himself spending the winter with the England Academy under the watchful eye of former Australian wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh.

He said: "That was magnificent. We were worked very hard by Rod Marsh and Co, but fitness levels are twice as good as they have ever been.

"Cricketingwise, I learned heaps. Every day I'm learning more and more, but the talking has to stop and it's about what you have learned. It's all about performances now."

After such an impressive haul of wickets last season it's hardly surprising that Batty is being asked about how many County followers can expect from him this year.

Around seventy maybe? "I'm very much a dreamer at times. I dream about getting those kind of wickets, but I'm also a realist. The way I look at things is if I'm batting well and doing everything I possibly can on the training field then I will get runs. It's the same with bowling. If I'm bowling and I'm happy with the way it's coming out - and I keep working on the things I need to - then I feel the wickets will come as well."

Batting is something Batty hopes to improve on as the campaign unfolds. "I think I can do better than last season. That was a huge disappointment for me.

"The bowling was a big plus. I probably didn't expect it come on quite as well but the batting I thought was going to be a lot better than it was.

"I worked very, very hard with Rod Marsh and a few other people, and just as hard with Tom Moody as we have got back into the season, so I'd be extremely disappointed if results weren't better."

Batty admits to being 'extremely hungry' for success but realises that regular inclusion in Worcestershire's team is 'first and foremost'.

He said: "At present I'm lucky enough to be selected but the higher honours I dream about."

Despite his regular wicket-taking exploits this season and last year Batty still doesn't look on himself as an automatic choice for the County. "I think you have only a couple of guys who are definite automatics, the magnificent Graeme Hick and probably the captain Ben Smith. I think the way Worcestershire are looking to go is that nobody can rest on their laurels and say 'well, I'm definitely going to play next week'.

"Yes, you'd be upset if you weren't playing, but I think as soon as you relax then performance starting dropping and nobody can afford that.

"It's a professional game and we are a team that wants to keep going forward. If you're not striving to make a spot in the team your own every single time you are out there, then it's just not good enough."

Batty believes the County are good enough for promotion to the first division in the Championship but says: "The talking has to finish and we have to produce it on the field.

"We were extremely disappointed not to be promoted last season. But we have spoken about it and now we have got to be bigger and better for last year's experience and hopefully we wont have those hours of play in matches where we didn't quite do ourselves justice. That should be eradicated."

And being in the higher profile first division is something Batty feels could aid his England ambitions.

He said: "I think it sometimes helps to be a first division player because there's always a question mark if you are performing well in the second division. But I think if you take out the two or three massive teams in the first division - your Surreys and Lancashires - then I don't see that there's a huge difference between the teams. But you want to play against the best and be the best, so you really have to aim for the first division."