Oxfordshire's new player-coach, Jamie Hewitt, hopes to be fit for the start of the Minor Counties Championship campaign at the end of the month after having hospital treatment for his back injury.

The 28-year-old former Middlesex and Kent seamer suffered the injury while batting in the nets three weeks ago.

He saw a specialist last week and went to hospital for an MRI scan and an X-ray, which revealed two pockets of fluid between his vertebrae were empty.

Hewitt was given an epidural - a local anaesthetic in the spinal area - which is expected to resolve the problem.

He said: "The quick fix was to inject fluid and it should strengthen up over the next few weeks."

He is due to see the Kent physio today, and is hoping to play as a batsman for his club Whitstable on Saturday.

And he hopes to be back bowling for Oxfordshire by the time they open their Western Division campaign against Wiltshire at Banbury on May 29-31.

"I would be disappointed if I am not bowling in the first game for Oxfordshire," said Hewitt. "With a bit of rehabilitation I should be back on track."

Captain Ian Hawtin himself paid a hospital visit after dislocating a finger during Oxfordshire's four-wicket defeat by Oxford UCCE on Monday.

There were fears it was broken, but Hawtin said: "It was just a dislocation. It is fine - they put it back in.

"It was a ball that flew out of the footmarks that took off. I dived to catch it and it caught my little finger on my left hand. It was just one of those things.

Although Oxon lost their three warm-up games over the Bank Holiday weekend against Banbury, Gloucestershire and Oxford UCCE, Hawtin was able to take plenty of positives from the matches.

He said: "Stuart Hole bowled very well in both his games. Joe Porter batted well again on Sunday and also bowled very well, and Craig Haupt batted well on Sunday.

"It was also good to see Keith Mustow get some runs as well on Monday. I think those were the highlights."