Tom’s Murghe moment
Tourist goes off beaten track
IT did not take Tom Milnes long before he started to second-guess his decision to commit to Murgheboluc after he put pen to paper this year.
A cursory internet search for images, soon after signing on the dotted line, left the English County Cricket allrounder wondering if he had made the right decision to land at the home of the Frogs on his first antipodean trip.
“I did actually Google Murghe, the place, and it came up a very different place to where we play cricket right now,” Milnes said.
“That was a bit of a shock when I’d agreed to come over, I thought, ‘I’m going to be playing in the middle of nowhere!’.
“Not much came up when I searched it, I think a picture of a bridge and a stream was about it.”
Moving in with club stalwart Gary Taylor, it was not long before he became well acquainted with the colourful and storied past of the former Hamilton Highway-based club, its geographical migration to King Lloyd Reserve 20 years ago, and its rise to a place of prominence in GCA ranks.
“The Taylors have explained the history of the club and where it’s come from,” Milnes said.
“It’s a pretty amazing story, to be honest.”
But he is no stranger to change himself.
“That was a bit of a shock when I’d agreed to come over, I thought, ‘I’m going to be playing in the middle of nowhere!’. Not much came up when I searched it, I think a picture of a bridge and a stream was about it.”
Raised in Birmingham and initially representing Warwickshire at County level, he made a move to Derbyshire in 2015 in pursuit of greener pastures.
“I signed my first contract at 17 with Warwickshire and had five great years there and then moved to Derbyshire to get a bit more first team cricket,” the 24-year old said.
“It was sad to leave my home club, but at the end of the day it’s a living and I had to do that to pursue more opportunities.”
Milnes’s Warwickshire experience saw him play alongside former English Test stars Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott, along with emerging allrounder Chris Woakes, while at Derbyshire he has called Pakistani-born South African Imran Tahir and New Zealander Matt Henry teammates.
“I’ve been very fortunate to play with some world-class players,” he said.
“I’ve still got another year left on my contract with Derbyshire, hence the reason I’ve come out here to play some cricket and hit the ground running when I get back.
“I didn’t want to be stuck in an indoor centre, but was really keen to get more game time.”
The silky-smooth allrounder certainly started in dramatic fashion against North Geelong, bursting into GCA ranks with a wicket with his first legitimate ball after crashing to the turf with his initial attempt at a delivery.
And while he started with an impressive 10-over return of 4-29, the crack import recognises that Frogs coach Bill Dixon will be hoping the club’s latest addition can continue to influence games in a similar vein to last year’s import Greg Holmes.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I want to enjoy Australia,” he said.
“When I get some time off I’ll definitely be off and about, and looking around.
“But I also know I have an important job and that’s helping get Murghe into the finals again this year.”
IMPORT TOM MILNE SON WHEN HE SEARCHED FOR PICTURES OF MURGHEBOLUC