AUSTRALIAN sport has traditionally been a way for people to come together and share experiences with each other, and this week’s Player of the Year nomination knows all too well how supportive the cricket fraternity can be after a family tragedy rocked his family last year.
Indian native and Woorinen medium-fast bowler Guri Singh believes without the support of his teammates — especially the Morpeth family — he would not have had the enriching life he has lived in Australia and would have struggled after the loss of his father.
Singh arrived in Swan Hill nine years ago as a student, barely speaking English and away from his family. He met the Morpeth’s and his Australian life changed as he began playing cricket at Woorinen.
Over the years his English improved and the club was right behind him when he got his citizenship, humbling Singh and his family.
Despite all the challenges off the field, on it, the talented bowler has enlisted the help of teammates, YouTube and television cricket matches to change the style of his bowling, sowing the seeds of his outstanding six wicket haul in the first part Woorinen’s two-day match up with Ultima TUF on Saturday.
Using his newly found in-swing style, Singh walked off the field with 6/18 off 17 overs, conceding just over a run an over and secured 11 maidens for his side.
The destructive statistics speak volumes of the training he has put in and he told The Guardian it hasn’t been an easy road to the performance.
“I have been bowling well, but I was unlucky for a few weeks when we dropped nine or 10 catches,” he said.
“But this week I was on the right line and length, trying to get outside off-stump.
“It is an amazing feeling when you perform well, it has given me a lot of confidence … especially as I usually bowl in-swing, but this week the out-swinger worked great and I got ‘six-for’.”
Watching closely on the internet and talking with bowler Jake Schmidt, Singh has taken strides in his bowling attack, a good sign for Woorinen who have been resigned to the bottom two for the entire season.
Nicknamed ‘Workhorse’, Singh said he had improved his fitness to comfortably bowl close to 20 overs per match, which is a real asset to his club.
With nearly a 100-run lead, Workhorse and his team will resume their match with Ultima TUF this Saturday as they hunt for an outright victory.
