Hicks at home at Thomson
IT was only a few short years ago that Jayden Hicks was travelling 320km to play for the Thomson Cricket Club, from the Central Highlands town of Avoca all the way to Godfrey Street.
It was taxing, but the star-all-rounder did it for the club he loves.
Now, he has the chance this weekend against Modewarre to atone for the two losing grand finals he has played in at Thomson.
“I’ve been here for so long now, that this really is my club,” Hicks said.
“I’m doing my best to get us back to where we belong, which is at least Division 2, and beyond.”
Hicks’s 631 runs at 63 across all formats, and 42 wickets at 11.77, led him to Monday night’s Jan Nowicki Medal for the GCA3 best-and-fairest, nearly four years after taking home the GCA2 crown.
Hicks credits stringent personal expectations for his consistent output that has yielded more than 550 runs a season three times over the past four summers.
“I’ve had a few seasons where I’ve averaged over 50 and that’s what I expect of myself now. If I’m not doing that I feel like I’m not doing my job,” he said.
“I’ve been given every opportunity by Blissy (captain Adam Bliss) opening the bowling and batting at four. I can bowl after tea, I can ask to come on, I can field wherever I want and it’s almost like free rein. But I feel like I’ve earned it — I’ve been here for a long time and I’ve got runs on the board so to speak, and it’s what I expect of myself more than anyone else.”
The two-time Country Week representative — who now lives in Geelong to minimise his travel commitments — has sent down 163 overs for the summer and striking at just under every 32 balls he delivers to lead the Thomson attack with Bliss.
But he doesn’t believe if he fails to fire on the big stage this weekend that the Tigers have cause for panic.
“Dewy (Grant Dew) got the most runs in the league and Blissy and Dewy were equal third in the league medal, so I’ve got some very good teammates who are more than capable each week. We’re a good team,” Hicks said.
“We’ve got guys batting in the order who would bat higher for other teams so we’ve got guys capable of stepping up.”