VETERANS READY TO WIN TOUGH
GUY Brooks is adamant Wanderers can be the side to set the cat among the pigeons in Townsville Cricket this season.
While comfortably beaten by Sub Parks in their season opener, there were enough signs in that game that have the skipper buoyed for the year. Brooks believed the side’s ability to get into the grind and win tough games would come to the fore this season, thanks to their experience.
At least five members of the Wanderers’ core group – Brooks, Grant Dilger, Ryan Eaton, Matt Ahern and Phil Angel – have played around 100 games of A Grade cricket in Townsville after all starting together as teenagers.
It is that experience, coupled with the rise of fast bowler Jarrod Edmondson that has the skipper confident even heading into a showdown with last season’s standard-bearers Norths.
“We know how to get involved with ugly games and win games that other teams aren’t tough enough to win,” Brooks said.
“We have the same blokes who have been the nucleus of our club for six years now. We’ve been through the ugly times and we’re A Grade hardened.
“The blokes that walk into Townsville cricket who haven’t had hard times and think they going to be successful, it’s not the case. When teams are backs to the wall chasing that low 120 to 160 target, we have done it 100 times over. We need to learn from what we have done.”
While their attack struggled to contain the Redbacks middle order last weekend, the tough-as-nails spell from teenage quick Edmondson left Brooks excited.
The left-armer bowled 10 overs straight to start the innings, removing Sub Parks skipper Mark Taviani and finished with figures of 1-15.
Edmondson has been on a steep incline since his performances in the Mendi Tropical Big Bash earlier this month, and his skipper believed there was still plenty to come from the young gun.
“He is teed up for big things,” Brooks said. “The way he bowled in that T20 competition and being around those country cricketers will do him a world of good.
“He was down on confidence last year, but I couldn’t take him off last weekend. He was bowling that well and he had hit that rhythm. If he had overs left in the bank he would have bowled 10 more.”
Edmondson will need to be on song against a Norths batting line-up that includes Queensland Country allrounder Chris Stanger, who’s coming off an opening round half-century.
The reigning minor premiers shook off last year’s grand final woes last weekend, putting more than 200 on Brothers before dismantling their middle order.