FREW Park will be host to an international cricket match tomorrow when the English Over 70s touring side arrive in the city.
The visitors will face a combined SA and Victorian side, including several players from the South East Coasters Over 70s side, along with others from Hamilton and Ballarat.
The 40-over match will follow an Adelaide fixture and precede another in Geelong.
The English side will play a total of 10 matches from Perth, through South Australia and Victoria, then up to Queensland.
For vice captain of the Australians Gary Ashby, it is a match he is looking forward to, after touring England two years ago.
“I went to England a couple of years ago for a tour and it is good cricket,” he said.
“A lot of those guys have played county cricket – they are good.
“We have guys now who are ex state players or test players who still want to play.
“They have been out of it for a while but want to come back.
“This is my 10th year and it is a pretty good competition now.”
The team playing at Frew Park is made of a few South East Coasters players, three from Hamilton and the rest from around Ballarat and other areas of Victoria.
“We have not done any training together, but probably seven or eight of us would have played against each other last week in Geelong,” Ashby said.
“We all train anyway so we are match fit.”
Ashby said it was a good chance for players to prove themselves for future selection.
“There are about half a dozen hopefuls playing who want to make the Australian side,” he said.
“They are on show here to see how they go.”
Ashby said the calibre of the players was high, with some “cagey” bowlers and quality batsmen.
“They are pretty handy bowlers and there are some good bats around still,” he said.
“A lot of good bats do not lose the technique, it’s just the physical side of it that takes a toll.”
After an English Over 60s side did the same tour last year, the Over 70s were always going to come to Mount Gambier for their tour.
“When they went back to England last year they said ‘fit Mount Gambier in’,” Ashby said.
“They are on route from Western Australia, then Adelaide, they stop here and have a game, then on to Geelong and up the east coast.
“It slots in beautifully.”
While it all seems a bit of fun, Ashby said the players take it seriously and the English players would bring a high level of skill.
“I went on a month tour to England with Victoria and it’s a big thing over there,” he said.
“They go from one end of England, then up to the midlands on a three day tour.
“They play about 16 games a year and we would play about 10 or 12.”
Once this game is completed the South East Coasters team as a whole will look to an upcoming three-day tournament in Hamilton against the host side, Adelaide and Geelong.
But first the combined team will put all its energy into beating the English here at Frew Park.
The game begins at 10am Tuesday morning.
Team: Captain Les Payne, vice captain Gary Ashby, Colin Hutchesson, Frank Cronin, Ian Longmuir, Ian Gibson, John Costello, Graham Freshwater, Bruce Pooley, Phil Forsythe, John Williams, Jim Jenkins, Noel Stratman, Keith Dowdell.
