General News
29 October, 2021
Returning Lakers bolster Camperdown
CAMPERDOWN skipper Simon Richardson hopes the return of several key players will be the injection of experience the Lakers need this South West Cricket season.
CAMPERDOWN skipper Simon Richardson hopes the return of several key players will be the injection of experience the Lakers need this South West Cricket season.
Former players Jye McLaughlin (Warrion), Troy McLaughlin (Merrivale), Jordan Riches (Irrewarra), Bernie McLeod (Churchill) and Matthew Absalom (Darwin) are returning to the club after stints away.
The quintet are expected to beef up the Lakers batting and bowling stocks, while their experience is also set to help the club’s youth.
Camperdown battled last season after an exodus of players, finishing its campaign winless after featuring in the grand final the year prior.
But season 2021/22 is already full of hope and promise with the return of those players.
“We’ve got a few coming back which is good for the club,” Richardson said.
“They’ve been away experiencing different cricket which has been good for them and now they’re coming back we’re hoping to get a few more wins on the board.
“We were full of young blokes last year so we’re hoping their mature heads help the kids a fair bit.
“A lot of them can wield the bat too which is going to make our batting order deeper than it was last year and hopefully we can put more runs on the board.”
Richardson said Riches and McLeod would only provide greater options with the ball for the Lakers, while Troy McLaughlin will chip in with some overs of leg-spin.
“We had plenty of bowlers last year and we’ll have plenty again this year which is going to make the fight for spots greater which is a good thing for the club,” he said.
“If someone doesn’t make the most of their opportunity, they’ll go back to threes which will only make that side even better.”
The Lakers will host Bookaar at S.A. Wright Oval in the opening round of the season, with Richardson setting a simple goal for his side – to start well and win.
The second year captain knows it will need to make a statement early, adding a victory over the Pelicans, a side who just missed the finals last season, will be a good start.
“In regards to the year we want to start off strongly and on a good note,” Richardson said.
“Really we’ll look to take it week-by-week and plan for the next opposition of that week, it’s all you can do.
“But we really want to be competitive with the players we have coming back.
“We’re confident we can do that but we have just got to start well and continue that on.”
South West Cricket will start its senior and junior seasons on November 13 and 14 respectively.