Frakes steps deftly into gap for Wests
TOWNSVILLE TWENTY20
(7pm). Norths v Wanderers
Norths v Wests (10am); Wanderers v Sub Parks (2.30pm), Sub Parks v Wests (7pm).
Brothers v Norths (2.30pm) IT’S been about six years since he pulled on the pads in A grade but Wests coach Darren Frakes insists he “won’t be making a habit of it” despite impressing in last week’s Twenty20 loss to Brothers.
After beating Wanderers last Saturday, Wests couldn’t repeat the dose against Brothers after they posted an imposing 4-189 batting first.
But Frakes must surely have earned more respect from his troops with 33 off 36 balls after key batsmen Scott Connor and Pat Hagenbach were both missed for ducks in the first over.
Wests take on Norths, fresh from a first-up win over defending champs Sub Parks, at Riverway Stadium on Saturday. With batsmen Brad Stout and Tony Hampson hopefully back for Wests from Queensland Country duty and Jamie Dunlop also available, Frakes said his playing days will be fleeting.
“I won’t be making a habit of it, we were down on troops so I filled in,” he said. “My last A grade game was in 2013 I think. It had been a while, but obvious- dis- ly Twenty20 is obviously slightly different to the normal stuff.
“We only had four or five A graders in our team, so we were pretty short.”
Frakes said he would have preferred not to have to wield the willow but he was given no choice when early wickets fell.
“I was hoping not to bat, to be honest, but losing two wickets in the first over changed that,” he said.
“They were our two best batsmen and chasing 190, it was a pretty tough ask from the beginning.”