Matthew Mott's Postcards

MONDAY 25 October 2000
The 2000/2001 season is underway and a few cobwebs are out of the closet, says Victoria’s Matthew Mott

I have recently returned from an extremely enjoyable stint playing Lancashire League cricket for Rawtenstall CC in England. I felt like I'd never left home with eight other Aussies to keep me company in the league. The cast included Brad Hodge, David Saker, Adam Dale, Geoff Foley, Jason Gillespie, Ben Johnson and Dan Marsh. Also substituting for a couple of games were Clinton Perron and Joe Scuderi.

Whilst the summer was typically English, for me it was more like an Australian winter for me. Even in spite of the weather, there is always a multitude of ways to entertain oneself. A trip to the gym in morning followed by an afternoon hit of golf with a few of the boys usually did the job.

This year looms as a very big year for the ‘Vics’. As a unit we are very keen to go one better in the Pura Cup and to bounce back after a poor Mercantile Mutual Cup season.

On a personal note, it would be great to build on some encouraging performances from last year. Since my return from the UK, things have been going well and I am keen to combine with the likes of Arnberger, Elliott, Harper, Harvey, Hodge, Craig and Klinger to put some scores on the board for our well balanced attack to bowl at.

There are a heap of new faces in the squad this year, which has provided extra enthusiasm to the group. The newcomers include fast bowlers Shane Harwood (Melbourne), Lee Hanson (Comets), Simon Burriss (St Kilda) and Chris Street (Fitzroy-Doncaster ); batsmen Travis Gloury (Northcote) and Andrew Kent (Melbourne); all-rounder Andrew McDonald and Test spinner, Colin Miller.

Matthew Mott says he'll miss David Saker © AllSport & ACB

We have lost the veteran David Saker - a man who will be missed not only in purely a statistical sense but also because of the enormous lift he gives to any side of which he is a part. I'll miss the ‘big fella’ as much as anyone will as he was my roommate since I arrived in Victoria three seasons ago.

Another loss, although not as well known, is that of our trainer Greg Jarvis, who has been with the ‘Vics’ for eight years. Basically, ‘Jar’ did everything around the place and will be greatly missed by all. I will always remember Jar for his ability to invent ways to fix my damaged fingers. These damaged fingers of mine have consequently earned for me the nickname ‘poppadums’ because of the way they split and break so easily when a ball goes near them!

The start of the season didn't go as planned with our hiding at the hands of NSW at the North Sydney Oval. The Blues were at the top of their game and we felt like we were caught in a ‘highlights package’ at one stage. Brad Haddin was virtually unstoppable in their run chase.

Despite what people may think, it wasn't all doom and gloom in our rooms. Whilst the boys were a little shell-shocked by the onslaught, the mood was one of ‘that's out of the way; let’s come back hard in a couple of weeks at Punt Rd in the Pura Cup and the return Mercantile game’.

The game was one to forget for me after being run out for 13 by a direct hit from Mark Higgs. The day started badly when my blue pads didn't arrive after I had left them in Melbourne. This slip up in preparation earned me the tag ‘Daktari’ (an outfit of incredibly bad taste worn on the last night of tour for people who stuff up!). As usual though, I took the decision to wear the suit in my stride even though I believed in my heart that Ben Oliver deserved it for falling down the steps on his way out to bat for Victoria for the very first time. To rub salt into his wounds, just as he reached the gate some little smart local lad suggested ‘one foot in front of the other buddy’!

So this week, we get or chance to make amends at Punt Road. Despite a few injury concerns, the boys are fired up and ready to play after a successful weekend of club cricket for most of the squad. For the moment, I’ll sign off but will report back in a couple of weeks - hopefully with news of great Bushrangers victories. Until then, take it easy.

Matthew Mott