And it looked on the cards almost from the moment that, having to chose bat first at Taunton, Somerset captain Trescothick drove the second ball of the innings to the cover boundary, an exercise he repeated three balls later.
If the poll results in a vote for Northern Ireland to remain in the UK, the agreement says a similar exercise shouldn't be repeated for at least seven years.
"I always get the question of when I should work out, " says Harper, and his much-repeated response is that the perfect time is anytime you can fit some exercise into your schedule.