After just one appearance , Bathurst selectors have given Redbacks' English import Harrison Craig the chance to unleash his left-arm tweakers in Sunday's Rod Hartas Trophy opener against Mudgee, at George Park 1.
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The 19-year-old fared reasonably well in his Bathurst-Orange Inter-District Cricket debut against Rugby Union last weekend, snaring four wickets for the game, with three of those coming in the Bulldogs' second innings.
Craig's taken plenty of wickets in the Northampton Premier League over the last couple of seasons but facing a new format in Australia, and substantially different conditions, he'll face plenty of challenges.
He's made an encouraging start though, which bodes well for Redbacks and potentially Bathurst too.
"I'm over here to play, and play as much as I can, so when I got the opportunity I took it. I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully it'll be a lot of fun," Craig said.
Aditya Adey came to Redbacks last summer from Northern Ireland and was reasonably productive at times as he averaged 27 on their run to the preliminary final, with Craig hopeful of leading the side one, or two, steps further.
"It's a different format, the two days. You don't get that back home, so that will take some adjusting, but I quite like it," he said.
"The pitch was nice on Saturday. There was big boundaries, and as a spinner I quite like that."
Craig is part of a huge Bathurst City presence in this Sunday's representative squad to face Mudgee. He's joined by Redbacks skipper Joey Coughlan along with Rory Daburger, Mark Day, Oliver Simpson, Clinton Moxon and Dene Rice.
"I'm really enjoying it at the club," Craig said.
"They're all a great group of guys who made me feel very welcome."
The Rod Hartas Trophy makes a return to the Mitchell Cricket Council calendar this season, featuring Mudgee, Blue Mountains and Gulgong as well. Sunday's clash starts at 10am.
- BATHURST: Andrew Brown (c), Matt Fearnley, Ben Cant, Hugh Parsons (St Pat's Old Boys), Joey Coughlan, Rory Daburger, Mark Day, Oliver Simpson, Clinton Moxon, Dene Rice, Harrison Craig (Bathurst City), Blake Aubin, Kyle Aubin (Centennials)
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