Sign of things to come
A Magpie about to take off
NORTH Geelong’s Cal Ferguson may not have quite the GCA resume of his namesake — albeit spelt differently — Magpie star Andrew Fergusson.
Despite that, North president Jeff Czajkowski is adamant the former Woori Yallock all-rounder is set to emerge from the shadow of his better-known clubmate to forge his own reputation at the GCA’s highest level.
“Cal didn’t experience turf cricket until he played with us last season; and it’s exciting that he’s still on an upward trajectory as a player,” Czajkowski said. “It’s really exciting, as, while he’s performing now, I think there’s still enormous scope for improvement.”
In light of his relative anonymity and on the back of his impressive 5-16 in last Saturday’s defeat of Highton, we set out to learn more about the 32-year-old.
WES CUSWORTH:
Having played your entire career at Woori Yallock, how did you end up at North Geelong?
CAL FERGUSON: I was actually born in Geelong, but when we moved to the other side of Melbourne, I started playing at Woori Yallock at the age of seven in the under-12s. I played there up until 2019 before I made the sea change down here to where Mum’s side of the family lives. I moved into Rippleside and just went looking for the closest cricket ground, which turned out to be Osborne Park. I saw a sign with a phone number, gave it a call and Roger Allen picked up. I actually left my run a bit late, until my father gave me a bit of a poke and asked where I was playing. I realised it was time to sort that out, so at the beginning of last season North Geelong slotted me into the thirds for my first game. WC: What sort of quality of competition were you accustomed to? CF: While each club in our competition had some good players, there was a high variance of skill level. Each team would have a pretty strong top order, but then it would fall away pretty quickly. People tended to play for their local club and I think Woori Yallock was down to just one side by the time I left. It gets serious around finals time, but most blokes down there just play for fun. It definitely wasn’t like it is here in Geelong.
WC: What were your early impressions of North Geelong? CF: Really family-oriented, which made it a very easy transition. The big culture focus was important to me, particularly as a one-club player prior to that.
WC: Has anyone in particular made that transition easier? CF: Having played a lot in the seconds, I’ve spent a lot of time talking with Sean “Mango” McGrath while coach Jack
Hall has also helped me integrate into the life cycle here. WC: I recall seeing you in action for the first time, as a first XI player, last summer out at Leopold. What do you recall of that initial experience?
CF: It was a culture shock, just how serious cricket is taken here. In the past, cricket for me was just fun, it was very casual. Even things like the preparation before the game and people wearing their club attire. The process from the beginning to the end of the day makes it a different sport down here. The standard is obviously higher, but I feel I’ve adjusted pretty well. I had no idea of all the different divisions, but I don’t think it’s above me. I’m having a lot of fun.
WC: Having played the first five games in the seconds, you appear to have taken your opportunity in the first XI.
CF: Being an all-rounder helps because you’re not being judged on just one part of your game. While the ones were going well I think there was a spot at three in the batting order, along with a bowling opportunity as well. There’s Braden Szponar, Gregy (Brayden McGregor) and myself who have rotated through there and I suppose I have done all right. Particularly with oneday cricket having more batting all-rounders allows us to bat deep.
WC: It was great to see you shine with the ball last week with 5-16. What worked for you in particular?
CF: I wouldn’t say I bowl overly quickly or that I do a lot with the ball, but I try to hit a spot consistently. I had Alistair McCann bowling at the other end and we were able to keep it tight, but the wickets fell at my end. There were a few that were taking off and because we were bowling so many dot balls, the moment they started to push the run-rate, the wickets started to fall. Alistair bowled 10 overs for just five runs, which showed it’s important to bowl in partnerships.
WC: What’s been the talk in relation to going back-to-back, given the Magpies claimed the title in last summer’s COVIDshortened season?
CF: Nothing has been said, it’s actually been more about the success across the club with winning all four grades over the last four weeks in a row. The buzz has not been about our ones winning, it’s about every grade. That’s what makes North Geelong such a great place to be around. No one is too worried about what grade they’re playing because every side is going so well. We can still get better because our really tight bowling has sometimes covered up some cracks in our fielding, which is an area in which we can improve. Jack Hall and the committee have done a good job keeping morale high and everyone fit, which is obviously a big part of it.