Sport
29 July, 2021
Bourke to lead Steamrollers
MORE maturity and experience in his cricket has led to Gus Bourke being appointed for a second stint as captain of the Noorat Cricket Club.
MORE maturity and experience in his cricket has led to Gus Bourke being appointed for a second stint as captain of the Noorat Cricket Club.
The star all-rounder was recently unveiled as the Steamrollers division one skipper for season 2021/22, with star batsman Jacob Fishwick to be his deputy.
Bourke previously captained Noorat for three seasons but will take over the role once again after Steve O’Connor led the side to back-to-back semi-finals berths.
He said his decision to lead the club was made easier by the fact he was older, while spending more time with team-mates in recent seasons had more him made comfortable at the Steamrollers since his first stint as skipper.
“I’ve been here for four or five years now and I know a few more people which should make it a little easier,” Bourke said.
“There’s plenty of people in place, like Jake will be my vice so I’ll be able to ask him for his ideas which will be good.
“I played my better cricket when I wasn’t captain and didn’t have to think about it too much.
“But now I’m a little bit older and I’m not thinking about it too much anyway. It wasn’t easy (when I first captained) but it was something I should have done.”
Bourke said having Fishwick as his deputy would also bring the damaging batsman in to the game more.
“I reckon Jake has got a few more ideas than he lets on,” he said.
“He’s got a pretty good cricket brain so I want him to help as much as he can.
“If he doesn’t score any runs we want him to know that he’s not out of the game and that he can still contribute which will be good for us.”
Bourke expects the Steamrollers to be a younger side than previous seasons.
He said the likes of Luke Justin, Toby Harris and Harvey Roberts would likely get opportunities in the top grade, which he expected to create pressure for spots.
“We’ve got some older guys going out but there’s a few guys coming in,” Bourke said.
“Luke Justin’s coming back, Toby Harris has been going pretty well (in division three) and Harvey Roberts is another young fella that could step up.
“There might be a few more younger blokes (this year) that can stop a few more runs in the field or who we can throw the ball to get a wicket from.
“It’s going to be a bit of a different side, and it’s not going to be the same side each week for us which will be good for the club because there will be positions up for grabs.”