Almost 2,000 men, women and children are set to take to the pitch this weekend, October 7-8, as the 2023/24 Central Coast Cricket Season begins.
The T20 competition started last weekend with the 1st Grade two-day competition hitting off at 12.30pm on Saturday, October 7 at all venues.
In the first game of the season, Brisbane Water will play Wyong at Adcock Park, Lisarow Ourimbah and The Entrance will butt heads at Sohier Park, Warnervale will meet Kincumber Avoca at Woongarrah Oval, Narara Wyoming will take on Terrigal Matcham at Fagans Park and Southern Spirit and Northern Power will clash at Umina Oval.
Last year’s premiers The Entrance will once again be led by Jake Hardy and they will be looking to repeat last year’s performance and go through the season undefeated.
But they’ll be attempting it without last year’s grand final Player of the Match Conner Haddow, as he has not returned from the UK.
Prolific run scorer Broc Hardy will also be absent for Round 1, having spent the off-season playing in the UK.
Last season’s runners-up, Northern Power will be looking to go one step further with a new captain in Ben Gillies who has taken the reins from Chris Archer who remains as a player.
The Power’s ranks have been strengthened by the return of star all-rounder Brendan Charlton and also Nathaniel Stokes.
Perennial leading performers Kincumber Avoca welcome back dual Alan Davidson medallist Dylan Robertson after a stint with Stockton in the Newcastle competition.
The top order bat and left arm finger spinner will ensure that the Griffens are again at the top end of the table, especially when you combine him with the likes of Harry Woodhead and Bailey Lidgard as well as some talented youngsters in Liam Roche, Zak Graham and Alex Cutting.
Southern Spirit hope to have an improved season this year after a disappointing season last year.
Star bat Liam O’Farrell has returned to the club after a stint in Sydney which saw him win a 1st Grade premiership with Mosman.
His run scoring ability is second to none and if Lachlan Cork can return to the form he showed two years ago along with the continued improvement of young gun Jaylen Johnston a finals berth is well within their grasp.
Finalists for the past few seasons, Terrigal Matcham also have a new captain with opening bat, Lloyd Radcliffe taking over from Alex Patterson who has retired.
The Bellbirds have gone abroad looking to strengthen their team with Riecko Parker-Coles and Ivan Kriek joining the club from the UK and South Africa respectively.
Josh Bridge will again be required to lead the attack whilst youngster Matt Toohey also shows plenty of promise with the ball.
Wyong have put in a good pre-season under their newly appointed coach Ben Preece and are expected to be one of the big improvers this year.
Mark Leard will again captain the team fresh from his Over 40’s World Cup campaign for Australia held recently in Pakistan.
Any team that has the strike power of Callum Rainger and Jack Harris cannot be under-estimated but it will need continued improvement from youngsters Tom Alderson and Lachlan Rainger for the Roos to challenge the top sides.
The acquisition of well credentialled UK import Sam Beedle will also help their cause.
Ben Sunshine will again lead a youthful Lisarow Ourimbah side into battle this season.
The talented right hander will shoulder the bulk of the run scoring responsibility although Brady Pennington showed plenty of class at the end of last season whilst Hayden Paterick is also very capable with the bat.
Sunshine will also have a responsibility with the ball although the experienced Scott Burkinshaw and youthful Daniel Thomspon will spearhead the attack.
Overseas import Sam Wisniewski will be worth watching with the left arm wrist spinner having played for Yorkshire in the English T20 competition.
Brisbane Water will again look to NSW Country Representative Shaun Eaton to lead the way.
Last year’s T20 finalists have a competent batting line-up with Dave Mitchell joining Eaton as the class players and Brad Brown and Lewis Cavender capable of providing the fireworks.
With the ball Eric den Hartog is a former NSW Country bowler whilst Alex Searle and Dane Croker are very reliable.
Narara Wyoming will again be led by all-rounder James Smith as they look to build on their three wins from last season.
Veteran Andy Ryan is padding up again and will provide fantastic support for youngsters Lachlan Shedden and Angus Jack.
Representative player Tom Owen will have a big role to play with both bat and ball whilst Kieran Lawson and the returned Kyle Jordan will lead the attack.
Mason Mansfield has returned from the UK for a second stint.
Warnervale, last year’s Glenn Rowlands Shield Champions, will be looking to improve on their two-day form this season after failing to win a game in that format last year.
The recruitment of talented left arm spinner Harry Townsend from Sydney is a huge gain for the Wildcats as is Leslie Smith, who has joined the club from Port Macquarie.
Run scoring machine Brett Russell will lead the team and he will need to be at his best with the bat to help Warnervale to competitive totals.
Kaleb Daley, Ben Sammut and Daniel Hill will provide excellent support for their skipper.
The Ibis Styles The Entrance women’s 1st Grade competition is shaping up to being the most exciting in recent memory.
In Round 1, Lisarow Ourimbah will play Narara/Terrigal at Rogers Park at noon, Northern Power Orange will take on The Entrance at Taylor Park at 2pm and Kincumber Avoca will meet Northern Power Blue at Rogers Park at 3.30pm.
With many of the leading players opting to explore their playing opportunities elsewhere, the door is now well and truly open to many teams to challenge for the title.
Six teams will contest this year’s competition including two from Northern Power, who continue to be one of the leaders for women’s cricket on the Coast.
Emma Raychaudhuri will lead the Northern Power Orange team who will enter the comp as favourites with a side that includes the likes of Crystal Osborne, Sam Thomas and Rebecca Callan – all players with excellent records in the women’s competition.
Their closest competition could come from a combined Narara/Terrigal side which will be led by young gun AlexBobbi Smith.
Jess Dowling continues to improve every year while Rejoice Mudavose is one of the best wicket keepers in Country Cricket for her age.
Emily Humphreys was a Team of the Year member for the past two years and will again expected to be a top performer with bat and ball.
The Northern Power Blue side have made the jump to the 1st Grade competition after winning 2nd Grade last season and will include a number of talented youngsters including Sarah Abel and Zara Hepplewhite, both of whom have been strong performers at junior representative carnivals.
Lisarow Ourimbah will field a new side under the captaincy of Jade Burkinshaw who will be returning after missing last year following knee surgery.
She will lean on Rachel Scarr, who will be one of only two regular players who played in last year’s premiership side, as they lead a very young team.
The other premiership player is the talented Aanya Singh, who will be pivotal in the team’s performance this year.
Kincumber Avoca will be led by last year’s Champion Player Sophie McCrae who, despite her young age, continues to impress with both bat and ball.
McCrae will have a bevy of talented youngsters with her including Layla Graham, Scarlett Sheridan and Narthana Sivasampavan, who all will benefitted from last year’s experience.
The Entrance make a return to the top grade this year with the highly talented Jade Crook leading the way.
Crook is a dynamic batter and with players such as Hailey Paul, Aisha Pearce, Miranda Crosdale and Kristy Barry all proven at this level expect The Entrance to have a good season.
Source:
Central Coast Cricket