Forbes cricket vice president Andrew Glasson has welcomed the return of the Lachlan Council competition, which will start tomorrow when Forbes travel to Cowra for their first outing of the summer.
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Lachlan Cricket Council’s competition was abandoned last summer, with only three towns registering their interest, but Young has rejoined the group and will host Parkes in this weekend’s other first round match.
While the competition only promises three games for each town, Glasson said he was pleased to see it back on the pitch.
“Part of the decision [to resume the LCC] was that if you were knocked out of other competitions you had very little [representative] cricket, so this was a good way to get around that,” Glasson said.
“There are only a few games so it’s a competition that is very flexible, as far as allowing dates for other matches.
“It’s also a very good grounding for some of the younger blokes in the town team,” he said.
While Lachlan Council rivals like Parkes and Cowra are also competing in Western Zone Premier League, Glasson said Forbes Cricket Association’s town representatives have less opportunities to play cricket at a higher level.
“It’s an achievable competition for us,” he said. “You’re not travelling two or three hours to play similar sized towns every Sunday.”
Mark Stirling will captain the Forbes town team this summer and he has assembled a competitive side for tomorrow’s game, including some new full-time members of the squad.
Brothers Jarrod and Brad McDean will both add to the team’s bowling arsenal, while Mitch Bayley returns to the fold with his batting experience.
Stirling said several players are unavailable for the opening game of the season including Andy Hardy, Matt Roylance and Jamie Hoswell. Tim Prior and Dave Sherritt are also likely to come back into the team at some stage later in the season.
Cowra has named a youthful team for the round one match at Twigg Oval.
Twenty-one year old Conor Crook will lead the side in the absence of Mick Curtale, who has returned to ACT premier side Quenbeyan.
Forbes - Mark Stirling (c ), Clayton King, Jason Hoswell, Mitch Bayley, Jarrod Nicholson, Selwyn Bale, Jarrod McDean, Isaac Vale, Brad McDean, Blake Neilsen, Jacob Reid. Mick Ondrovcik or David Hanson will fill the remaining position.
Cowra - Conor Crook (c), Jonte Powderly, Jacob McNaught, Greg Garlick, Zac Starr, Brendan Traves, Sam McNaught, Jackson Moodie, David Henderson, Angus McFarland, Jarrod Proctor, Peter Guthrie.
The Forbes and District Association will start its Saturday competition next weekend with five teams registered.
Players are still invited to join one of the teams by contacting Andrew Glasson on 0428-542-972.
