Wanderers to re-join Orange cricket competition in 2023/24

He bagged just one wicket and was caught out for zero during a semi-final loss to CYMS.

That was March 22, 2015 and following the disbandment of the club as a standalone entity that same season, it looked likely Kennewell's Wanderers career was over.

But a change of "ideas and goals" at Centrals - for where the fast bowlers had called home for the past eight seasons - brought about a desire to bring back the cult classic club.

"I was talking to a couple other blokes who haven't been playing for a while and they all loved playing at Wanderers," he said.

"I was pretty keen."

With a new beginning wanted, Kennewell set out to bring back the club for which he played three seasons and bagged 103 wickets.

"I'm not new to the situation and know what it takes to get things going and moving in the right direction," he added.

So, after a busy off-season of securing enough players to ensure they could field a team each week, Wanderers have announced it would nominate for a place in the Orange and District Cricket Association second grade competition.

"We've got some good bowlers, good batters and some blokes that need a bit of work," Kennewell said with a laugh.

"We'll give it a bit of a nudge."

With 15 players locked in already and a hope to get that number up to 20 before the start of the season, Kennewell made sure to spread the message far and wide to ensure they could get a competitive group of players.

"We've just got blokes who were either disgruntled elsewhere, haven't played for a while or couldn't commit to trainings elsewhere," he said.

"We know we're in a shift working environment and we want to try and accommodate for that. If that means we have 20 players available one week, then I don't mind sitting out and cooking the barbie."

The second grade season is due to commence on October 7 and while Kennewell hoped they could battle for finals, enjoying themselves was top priority.

"Mainly it's just about having fun and not worrying about the elitisms," he said.

"We're still looking at sponsors because we need money, obviously. You need people to support you in the community and you need to give back to the community and that's what we're focusing on."

The club already secured at least one major sponsor, with Waratahs Sports Club coming on board for the 2023/24 campaign.

As for what the future holds, Kennewell doesn't want to put any restrictions on what the club can achieve one day.

"We don't see this as a one year thing," he added.

"If we can have more clubs, that gives more people opportunity and more choice. We want more options available to us in this day and age."

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