RENSHAW COULD BE CASUALTY
WHENEVER he’s in a rut, Jordan Rossi has plenty of people to turn to at South Barwon.
There’s Chris Bartholomeusz, a batting maestro and skipper of the Swans, and his fellow countryman Matt Laffey, who represented New Zealand at under-19 level.
Former Victorian Premier Cricket batsman Joel Davies is never far away, while evergreen all-rounder Brad Hauenstein is always around to lend a hand.
Not to mention the in-form Matt Kennedy, who has been a strong influence on 19-year-old Rossi.
“I’ve been working pretty hard since I came back to South,” said Rossi, who reaped the rewards of a solid pre-season with a century for the Barwon Rockets’ under-21 team on Sunday.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time with all the coaches down there and I haven’t really had a break. I’ve got uni and work at the moment, so I’m trying to balance my life, but I’m really happy.
“It (ton against South East Country) takes a bit of pressure of my shoulders. I didn’t do so well for South the week before, but Brad (coach of the Rockets) just wanted me to spend some time at the crease.
“It took me until the last over to get the hundred, but I was very pleased to spend some time in the middle.”
Having made the difficult decision to depart Premier club Footscray after just one match, Rossi settled back into his surrounds at South Barwon with the help of an experienced coaching panel.
“Chris and Matt Laffey have a wealth of experience,” Rossi said.
“Both of them represented New Zealand in the under-19s and they’ve been great to me. I’ve just been trying to be more consistent with my cricket and I’m still learning my game.
“I’d been going in (to bat) worrying if it’s going to be my day or not and they’ve been helping me a lot to change that around.’’
Renowned for his strong work ethic and high levels of concentration, Rossi delivered another patient knock as the Rockets passed South East Country’s total of 7-172 with ease and went on to post 4-231 at Walker Oval.