By David Nagel
CASEY-SOUTH MELBOURNE coach Mark Ridgway is looking forward to the start of the cricket season this Saturday after some grand plans stumbled over the off-season.
After finishing fourth last season and bowing out in the quarter-finals, Ridgway and the club had plans in place to improve the structure of the club to take it that next step.
Some things don’t always go to plan however.
“I was going to take on the role of director of cricket,” Ridgway said.
“Damian Wright was going to take over as coach but he got the New Zealand bowling coach position so we had to go to plan B. “Plan B was for Sean Cilingeleffer to come over from Tasmania and coach the club but that fell through at the last minute.
“So I’m back coaching.”
That’s all behind the club now as they travel to Toorak Park this Saturday for the season-opener against fellow finalists from last year, Prahran.
The inclusion of 21-year-old Surrey batsman Jason Roy will bolster an inexperienced but talented line-up. Roy was the second-highest run scorer in the English one-day game this year and made 75 off 45 balls in a recent final for Surrey.
Roy joins the likes of new captain Jake Best and his deputy Clive Rose as key players this summer. Rohan Blandford and Jolyon Leaver also showed glimpses of form last season but need to gain consistency.
On the bowling side, Rod Bird joins the Swans from Hawthorn-Monash and his last season of 28 wickets at an average of 20 would be valuable if replicated. Bird joins an already potent bowling line-up that includes Rose and Jayde Herrick, who both had terrific summers with the ball last season.
The inclusions seem to balance out with off-season losses and Ridgway is optimistic about the season ahead.
“We’re aiming at finals for sure, we’ve got good depth and the young fellas only get better with time,” Ridgway said.
“Our trial form was outstanding, we got 240 against Geelong and a lot of blokes looked in good knick.”
Ridgway is also excited about the relationships being developed in the local community which are promoting young players to come through the system.
“We have a great relationship with the Cranbourne Cricket Club, it’s such a great vehicle for young players to get to this level, they’re terrific down there,” Ridgway said. “Also, young blokes like Sean Foster from Carrum and Andy Johnson from Langwarrin have come down and I really like what I see there.”
Casey-South Melbourne’s first home game is against Frankston Peninsula, at Casey Fields on Saturday 15 October, at 11am.
