ST MARY’S-TYNTYNDER CRICKET CLUB – 2024-25 SEASON PREVIEW
WORD FROM THE CAPTAIN
NATHANIEL HOLMES-BROWN
“We’ll go into this season like any other and be aiming to be as successful as possible. When you’ve been successful for a little while, you don’t really want to lose that feeling, so we’ll be aiming to make each grand final and hopefully we can win a few of them also.”
PLAYER TO WATCH
Robin Sebastian – Under-rated bowler who not only is economical in keeping the runs down but also strikes regularly. Took 19 wickets last home-and-away season despite missing several games mid-season. Can also score quick runs at the bottom of the order with his attacking and aggressive style.
INS – Ayden Symons (Ultima-TUF), Corey Daniels
OUTS – Jonty Chaproniere, Charlie King
REIGNING McDonald’s T20 champions St Mary’s-Tyntynder will have a vastly different look about them when the new SHDCA season gets under way next Saturday.
The Bulldogs will be missing both their leading run scorer and wicket taker from last year in what looms as a major shake-up for one of the competition heavyweights, with Jonty Chaproniere and Charlie King both having moved on over the off-season.
Adding to St Mary’s-Tyntynder’s woes will be the early-season absences of all-rounder Jack Shannahan, who is recovering from injury, Bailey Codling and Corey Daniels, who will return after the Christmas break.
Daniels’ late-season inclusion will give the Bulldogs a much-needed boost with the bat, according to their skipper Nathaniel Holmes-Brown, who expects his team to be hitting their straps in red-ball cricket this year.
“We’re usually pretty strong in the T20 format but that might change a bit this year without Charlie (King) and Jonty (Chaproniere),” Holmes-Brown told The Guardian this week.
“I’d still back us in to be pretty competitive in the short format but the red-ball season is where we think we’ll be strongest, especially with having Corey (Daniels) and ‘Shotsy’ (Jack Shannahan) back.
“They will strengthen up our stocks with both the bat and ball but, overall, we’re looking forward to the year.
“Everyone’s ready to go and keen to get into the season.
“Although we only won the one trophy, we still had a successful year (last season) based on making all three grand finals, but falling short in two of them left a bit of a sour taste in our mouths.
“But, in saying that, grand finals are hard to win and we were beaten by the better team on both days.
“In terms of this year, though, we’ll certainly be using it for motivation.”
The Bulldogs will also welcome Ayden Symons to the club, with the former Ultima-TUF wicket keeper-batsman set to take the gloves in the early absence of Codling.
Symons will be a handy inclusion and should complement the top order of Connor Power, Jake Foster and Riley Daniels with his composure at the top of the order.
The Bulldogs’ all-round depth and aggressive batting has long been a highlight of their game, and although their depth with the bat will take a hit, they will still be more than dangerous with the ball.
Holmes-Brown will be aiming for a return to his peak form from two summers ago when he was named in the VCCL Team of the Year after taking 46 wickets for the season, while Robin Sebastian, Austin McKerrow and Shannahan and Daniels are all capable of changing the course of a game with a strong three- or four-over spell.
But it’s the improvement in St Mary’s-Tyntynder’s younger players that has Holmes-Brown bullish about his club’s chances of continuing their finals run.
“Rylan Barnes, Hugh Thompson and Koben Ryan will get plenty of opportunities this year,” he said.
“They’ve all played a few games of A-grade cricket and at times have been given the ball in tricky situations and they certainly didn’t let us down last year.
“They were all contributing with both the bat and ball in some games.
“It’s really good see those boys coming through the ranks and hopefully they can take their cricket to even higher levels this year, especially with a bit more exposure and a few more opportunities.
“It will be good to see some improvement in some of our youngsters as we will need them all to step up to the plate and help cover the losses of Jonty and Charlie, who have both been our two most consistent batters over the last few years.
“It will also give the opportunity for guys like Riley Daniels to make his way back up the order again and get some time at the crease.
“Getting Ayden (Symons) over will also help immensely – we’ve always rated him (Symons) as a strong batsman in our competition and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do with a bit more strength and depth around him.”
