Sport
7 November, 2022
Colts and Owls recruits settle in well as MDCA finally gets a full round of cricket on Saturday
While the result of the Maryborough v Colts Phelans game was straight-forward on Saturday afternoon, there was an element of excitement as both teams were able to properly unleash their star recruits on the competition. While Maryborough’s English...
While the result of the Maryborough v Colts Phelans game was straight-forward on Saturday afternoon, there was an element of excitement as both teams were able to properly unleash their star recruits on the competition.
While Maryborough’s English recruit Harry Lumsden and Victorian Premier Cricket recruit Akon Mawien had already successfully made their debut a couple of weeks earlier, Colts Phelans were able to unleash their new English trio of Ed Foreman, Callum Watts and Matthew Scott after a long wait which had seen their first four games called off due to persistent rain.
And for Colts, wasn’t it worth the wait.
All three of their recruits played a starring role in their 42-run victory over the Owls, adding the bulk of Colts’ runs with the bat, before Watts and Scott were able to combine for three wickets with the ball.
Foreman and Scott have both arrived from the Northumberland district in England’s north, while Watts is from the south of England.
“Matty and I are from the north of England, and we know a coach over there called Steve Chapman. We worked with him quite closely, and his best mate is Wayne Stubbings. It was an easy fix for both Matt and I, but I thought it’d be different for Callum as he lives down in the south,” Foreman said.
“We’ve settled in well, it’s just been a little frustrating with the rain, but it was pleasing to get a run with the lads. It’s a small town, but it’s nice, we’ve been able to find things to do during the day, and we’ve just started working.”
As Scott explains, the family influence that Colts Phelans is about has helped them settle in well, while they have also been able to give the club’s juniors some invaluable advice.
“The camaraderie between the teams has been great, it’s a good family atmosphere. It’s good to get down and watch the juniors coming through as well, we help coach them through the week,” he said.
“The juniors train before us, and we get to work with a couple of them before our sessions.”
Scott also reflected on the journey that he has taken with Foreman, which has allowed them to break through in district cricket back home.
“We’re quite lucky — the county Ed and I are from is Northumberland, and we have been given a lot of funding for winter training as well as summer cricket. Ed and I have played for the district first-team the last couple of years, and Ed has really been breaking through as well now. He’s a bit younger, but to get those opportunities in first-class county cricket has been really good,” he said.
The impact that Maryborough, and Australia itself, has made on the three of them has been such that they are already looking to come back in the future.
Meantime, Maryborough have already been able to establish their opening strike partnership, which was again able to show that they’ll be able to take wickets at a consistent rate, with Mawien and Lumsden combining for three wickets on Saturday.
Mawien, a refugee from South Sudan who has lived in Australia for the bulk of his life, is enjoying the atmosphere at the Owls at the moment, and is part of the Welcome to Central Goldfields project aimed at bringing skilled migrants to the Central Goldfields Shire to promote a diverse community and address staff shortages.
“I feel like I’ve settled into Maryborough very well. The community has been very nice to me, and it’s been nice and easy to integrate here,” he said.
“Cricket has taken me to a lot of places, and now Maryborough is the latest stop. I’m just enjoying the journey as it comes, and enjoying the company of my teammates.”
Mawien says the culture at the Owls has helped him settle in to town.
“It’s been great getting to know the team. They’ve made things very easy for me from the first training session, and have made me feel very welcome, even in terms of doing things outside of cricket, going to the pub and playing some pool as well. It’s not all about cricket, they’ve made life easy for me,” he said.
Mawien takes note of Lumsden’s journey, which has seen him relocate from Newcastle to Maryborough.
“Harry has come a little further than I have, but it takes so much courage to do that by leaving your hometown, your family and friends, and taking the risk by seeing the world. I’m happy that he is doing that, and I’m happy to be a part of his journey. We’ll see how we’ll go over the next couple of games,” he said.
Mawien also has an ideal name for the opening bowling partnership he shares with Lumsden.
“I like to think of us two as a Batman and Robin-style opening bowling partnership,” he said.
Lumsden has been able to settle in to Maryborough well, navigating through early challenges both on and off the field.
“It’s been a good start, and it’s been nice to settle in. From a personal point of view, I think I have done pretty well,” he said.
“It’s a huge change coming from Newcastle, which is a decent-sized city, it’s a big change of culture. It’s a totally different way of life, which has brought challenges, but I’ve really enjoyed it so far — it’s been great.”
Lumsden is still taking time getting used to Australian pitches, but has played a starring role for the Owls in their two games so far, taking 2/11 against Beaufort, and 2/15 against Colts on Saturday.
“We were talking before the game, and I thought the wicket was pretty hard, but when I came in, everyone was saying it was really soft. The hardness of the wickets is a big change. We’ll see what it is like in the peak of summer, it will probably be a big change from what I am used to,” he said.
Lumsden said he is enjoying opening the bowling with Mawien, with the partnership yielding immediate dividends.
“It’s been great having Akon as well coming in from high-level cricket. He’s able to impact a game at such a high level,” he said.
