EP can be potent force — Stubbs
● Batsman says side has balance to be competitive in new season
Former Warriors batsman Tristan Stubbs believes Eastern Province can challenge for top honours in the new domestic cricket season, which gets under way later this year.
The 20-year-old is one of a host of young players who have been contracted to the provincial side, which he believes has the balance to be competitive.
Stubbs, who is playing club cricket in the Netherlands for Schiedam side Excelsior 20 in the Dutch TopKlasse — the top flight in limited overs cricket in that country — is upbeat about where the game is headed in the Eastern Cape.
The former Knysna Primary and Grey High School pupil said his spell at Excelsior 20 was important because it gave him some game time.
“It is great that I am able to get an opportunity like this because it allows me to live in a new place and learn about their cricket culture.
“I have only played one game so far and the team we faced had had four Dutch national team bowlers in it, so that was a nice challenge and I look forward to getting in a few more games in the next few weeks.”
Stubbs, who made his debut for the now-defunct Warriors in the CSA T20 challenge in February, turned out four times for the franchise.
He has made five first-class and five List A appearances for EP and is looking forward to using his skills to help the provincial side in its pursuit of silverware.
“I certainly think we can be competitive,” he said. “The balance in the side is great.
“We have some experienced guys who have played the game at various levels, and for the youngsters like myself, it is a great position to be in because we can learn and pick up things from them which would help grow our game.
“That being said, I think there is an exciting group of young players with loads of talent and if we can get the right guidance, I think it will only help us in achieving our goals of playing the game at the highest level.”
Stubbs said his call-up to the Warriors for the CSA T20 Challenge came as a bit of a surprise because not much domestic cricket had been played in the preceding year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It was a surprise because we hadn’t played any cricket up to that point but I felt quite ready for it.
“It was an awesome experience because all the teams had their Proteas players there, so to be able to get that first-hand experience of playing against such talented players and learning from them was amazing.
“That first game for me was a lot about settling the nerves and going out there knowing that I was brought into the team for my ability, so it was a great introduction for me and something I feel I can really build on,” he said.