Hoppers Crossing captain Darrel Brown thinks his team can achieve big things in the VTCA this season. 74070 Picture: DAMIAN VISENTINI
By Liam Twomey
WHEN Hoppers Crossing defeated Strathmore in last season’s Victoria Turf Cricket Association North Division grand final, the Cats were off to bigger and better things.
This season they have wasted no time showing that they belong with the best sides in the competition and that more success might not be too far away.
The Cats sit in fourth position on the VTCA ladder and one of the main reasons behind that has been spinning sensation Fawad Ahmed who has established himself as one of the most-dangerous bowlers in the competition.
To date, he has 21 victims, all bamboozled by his combination of leg spinners, wrong’uns and flippers.
Hoppers Crossing president Steve McNamara was not in the least bit surprised with the success his star bowler has enjoyed.
“We are absolutely thrilled with Fawad. We were always pretty confident that moving up a division he would probably be a better bowler than he was last year simply because the guys at this level are probably not going to sit back and try to negate him,” McNamara said.
With Melbourne’s weather proving a headache for most teams this year, the Hoppers Crossing batsmen have spent more time with umbrellas in their hands than cricket bats.
However, with the short time in the middle, McNamara has been impressed with young opening combination Liam Andrew and Luke Goegan and middle order batsman Cameron Nicol who have easily adjusted to the step up in class.
The combination of bat and ball both firing means the Cats fear no one in the VTCA.
