Sport
6 October, 2022
Maryborough Owls ready to return to senior cricket after sitting out season 2021/22
After not fielding a team in 2021/22, the Maryborough Owls Cricket Club are refreshed and ready to go for their return to the field tomorrow afternoon. The assignment does not get any tougher, however — they face reigning champions of the...
After not fielding a team in 2021/22, the Maryborough Owls Cricket Club are refreshed and ready to go for their return to the field tomorrow afternoon.
The assignment does not get any tougher, however — they face reigning champions of the Maryborough District Cricket Association (MDCA) in Laanecoorie Dunolly.
Yet, according to president Craig Jennings, the Owls feel they are a genuine chance of taking out the premiership, and with good reason — having won the white ball final in their last full season in 2020/21 (competing as Maryborough-Avoca), while they were beaten in a thriller in the red ball final by just two wickets.
“We believe we are contenders. We aren’t here to mess around, we are here to win. Cricket is a great leveller — you generally get what is thrown at you. I would like to think we can mix it with the best teams in the league and beat them,” he said.
Jennings was very quick to praise the work of captain Mitch McClure, who he says “single-handedly” ensured the Owls would return to the field this season.
“Mitch has done an absolutely fantastic job. He has taken it upon himself to get a team on the park by getting around to recruit. The board of the club has been supporting him when needed, but the recruiting effort has basically been all Mitch. He has almost single-handedly dragged the team back,” he said.
“We have also made a big effort to recruit players to the club, which we feel has been successful. We have two teams ready to go, and we feel pretty positive — we feel we have put together a couple of handy sides. We’ll see what the season brings.”
The Owls put a concerted effort into developing their junior teams throughout the 2021/22 season while in recess, with the idea paying off in spades.
They were able to defeat Carisbrook in the 16 and under competition to take out premiership success in that age group, while they also participated in the 13 and under competition with great success.
Jennings said the development will pay off over the next few years, with under 16 premiership players looking to make a mark in A reserve and A grade this season.
“Over the break, as we didn’t have a senior side, we concentrated on our juniors. They performed very well and won both divisions that they played in. They were also able to play on turf, which was a real positive as they hadn’t been able to in the past. Some of those under 16s will be able and willing now to play in A reserve and A grade, if they are good enough, this year. That’s a really good base which gives us something to focus on,” he said.
Jennings is happy with player retention from the 2020/21 season, with the committee keeping players who decided to play elsewhere last season informed about the Owls’ plans to reboot their team this season.
“When we weren’t able to muster a side, we had a good talk with our players, who we didn’t have a problem with in playing elsewhere last year, by keeping them in the loop with what we were doing, so they would come back,” he said.
With Princes Park not ready for cricket until at least round five, the Owls face a tricky start to the season, with the Laane game followed by a trip to grand finalists Clunes in round two, before returning to Maryborough to host Beaufort at Jubilee Oval in round three. They’ll then play their first game at Princes Park in round five against Colts Phelans following a bye.