FAMILY TIES TOO HARD TO RESIST
NIC Fairchild says strong family ties played a significant role in his decision to return to Little River Cricket Club.
Fairchild has landed back at his junior club after seven seasons, signing as the Redbacks senior coach.
Part of the country club since he was a toddler, Fairchild will lead the A2 side into a new BPCA season after stints at Newtown & Chilwell and Premier club Geelong.
He also is reunited with dad Doug, who is the president of the club, and brother Dylan.
“Even when I wasn’t (playing) here, I spent a lot of time at the club,” Fairchild said.
“My family has been involved in this club every since I was born. All my family, my family friends … everyone’s here and I don’t live that far away.
“It really was that family aspect that brought me back. I just wanted to play with some of my closest mates, which I haven’t been able to do for a while, and be back at my family club were the two reasons I came back.”
A member of the Two-Blues Division 1 outfit last season, Fairchild previously had a four-year stint at Geelong where he honed his craft as an off-spinner all-rounder.
He dips his toe into the coaching senior coaching waters for the first time in his own right, having played roles as an assistant in the Cats Bakker and Barwon Rockets squads.
Fairchild also had an “unofficial” role as off-spin coach at Newtown last season.
He takes over from veteran Casey Lang, who has been a “great sounding board” in the off-season.
“He’s been great,” Fairchild said of Lang. “He has a calming nature. Everything I need to know, I lean on him and he gives me the information I need to work through it.
“I’m one of the younger coaches, if not the youngest the club’s ever had, so having people like Langa and some of the older boys in the lower grades is really handy for me to get some advice and help me gain experience and knowledge about the role.”
Numbers have been strong at Redbacks’ training, with a host of players hitting the track midweek and on Sundays. He said Lang had told him numbers were well up on previous seasons.
Little River has welcomed back a quartet of recruits, led by Fairchild, that will help offset the departure of star batsman Grant Cheeseman and bowler Matt Robbins.
“It’s disappointing because they are good people and great to have around the club as cricketers who have played roles in the ones in previous years,” Fairchild said.
But he added: “We can replace them and I feel with the ins that we do have, we’ve filled those places quite nicely.”
“I just wanted to play with some of my closest mates, which I haven’t been able to do for a while, and be back at my family club...” — NIC FAIRCHILD