By Marcus Uhe
If all things went to plan last English summer, Narre South’s Welsh import Callum Nicholls wouldn’t be plying his trade for the Lions in the Dandenong District Cricket Association’s Turf 1 competition.
The talented right-hander and graduate from the Glamorgan Academy had his sights set on a professional contract with Glamorgan, affording him the ability to play County Cricket in 2024 for the Welsh club and seeing his winter taken up with indoor net sessions back home.
But a poor finish to the 2023 English season meant the contract never came, and instead he found himself quickly on a plane to Australia for a second consecutive summer, after representing Hampton Cricket Club in 2022/23.
Rather than stew on the disappointment, he made the best of the situation as he chases his dream of becoming a professional cricketer, settling into a room at club president Nathan Tracy’s house.
“For me, cricket is my life,” he said.
“It’s disappointing not getting contracts at this age, but I do think that it might be best for my game, the later I do get that contract, because I’ll be more ready to play first-team cricket.
“I feel like I’m really getting better every week, I’m training hard, off the pitch as well – my fitness and gym work really helped on the weekend.
“It was disappointing but I’m more determined than ever.”
A self-confessed fierce competitor, the 19-year-old has impressed at Turf 1 level, without consolidating his starts into milestones.
Gritty knocks against quality bowling attacks in tough circumstances against Buckley Ridges (58) and Hallam Kalora Park (33 not out) left him unsatisfied, with big expectations as a marquee overseas signing.
A Berwick bowling attack featuring an excellent quintet of Jarrod Goodes, Cory Bevan, Toby Wills, Lachlan Brown and Elliot Matthews was his next assignment, in a critical match in the context of both club’s seasons, with second facing third, and critical ladder positions up for grabs.
But Nicholls wouldn’t have it any other way; the bigger the challenge, the better he feels he performs.
“Usually with the better attacks you’ve got more pace on the ball and I feel like I can read what the bowler is trying to do more, because they’ve got plans in place, which I can use to my advantage,” he said.
“I do concentrate a little bit more and I do think it helps with the batting as well.
“I feel like there’s a few things that work in my favour, and the challenge is the main thing; I always love a hard challenge, I’m always trying to get better.”
He proved every word of that proclamation on Saturday, raising the bat for his first century for the Lions when his side was in need of big runs.
Nicholls hit an even 100 and shared in a monster 193-run stand in the heat with teammate Vineth Jayasuriya, who unfortunately fell just shy of the century himself, making 96, helping the Lions to a healthy first-innings total of 5/344.
The partnership was the largest that Turf 1 has seen in 2023/24, with Jayasuriya’s return to form matching his sides’ as they push for a finals spot.
Coming together at 1/24, the two fought through the tricky early stages with a clear mandate to bat time.
“When we got to the crease, it was pretty hard to score; the pitch was a little slow, it wasn’t easy to get off the square, but I think we really tried to make a big effort to set the game up for after tea,” Nicholls said.
“Patience was probably the hardest thing, not being able to score as freely as I would have liked, that was the hardest element of the day.
“We really punched down and tried hard to get a score going without losing any wickets, so that after tea we could go hard and really set the game up to put us in the best position, and we did exactly that.”
The two both reached their half-centuries before tea, still one-down at the break, giving their side a terrific foundation on which to build.
Berwick’s attack kept coming, but the two remained up for the challenge, until Jayasuriya was bowled by Matthew Hague within striking distance of triple figures.
Nicholls belied the fate of his teammate, bowled trying to lift the tempo of the match with an aggressive stroke after saluting his teammates having reached his 29th century.
Frustrated at his inability to convert a handful of starts, Nicholls’ determination shone through in an innings of defiance.
“Usually when you get hundreds I think you give away a chance or two, but I was making sure I wasn’t giving anyone a chance to get me out.
“Whether it was the umpire or the opposition, I just thought, ‘nothing’s going to stop me getting a hundred today.’
“It was just one of those days where I was just too determined, to be honest.”
The monster partnership allowed the big-hitting Jeevan Mendis and Harsha De Silva to rub salt into Berwick wounds at the tail end of a hot day in the field.
Mendis hit a quick-fire 55 off 35, bringing up his 50 off 27 deliveries, including five fours and three sixes, while De Silva matches his intent, unbeaten on 41 off 26 with three sixes and four fours at the close of play.
For one of the few occasions in a turbulent season for the Lions, a range of contributors were able to click at the same time, pushing them to a huge team total for their lethal bowling attack to defend next week.
“We talked about what we did well on the day and it’s been brewing,” Nicholls said.
“Ever since that first game, we’ve had little snippets of people doing well but not everyone doing well at the same time, with the bat.
“But I think it’s important to realise that the game’s only halfway done, and Berwick has got a good batting side, so we’ve really got to make an effort of helping the bowlers out at training, making sure they get everything they need out of themselves before the weekend.”
Berwick’s dual spinning threat of Brown and Matthews was rendered wicketless, with Hague, Goodes, Wills, and Bevan each sharing one wicket each.
A fascinating second day awaits, as Jake Hancock, Jarryd Wills and the Bears batters face a massive challenge against an in-form bowling attack at Strathaird Reserve.
