Spotswood import Ed Young was like a kid in a lolly shop en route to a maiden Victorian Turf Cricket Association north division century.
Young, who is also a first-class spinning all-rounder with Gloucestershire in England’s county cricket, salivated at the prospect of batting on McLean Reserve this summer.
The 24-year-old had shown glimpses of what he’s capable of, but he arrived seriously on Saturday with a scintillating 142.
Unfortunately, it was for a losing side: the one-man batting band of Woodsmen could manage only 265 in their chase of Doutta Stars’ 7-312.
“There are mixed feelings,” Young told the Weekly.
“Obviously, it’s great to get the runs, but to fall short [in the run chase] on what was a good deck is very disappointing.
“A new guy coming to a club, you always want to prove yourself and kind of get settled, so I wanted to prove to the guys my worth to the team and show that I mean business.”
Young is the latest in a line of successful UK cricketers, including Vikram Solanki, Gavin Hamilton and Gary Fellows, to make Spotswood their second home.
The hospitality of the people at the club and the top-shelf facilities should mean he’s not the last.
“They’ve made me feel welcome; they’re an easy bunch to get along with and that’s all you can ask for coming over and playing cricket in a different country,” the Yarraville resident said.
“If they keep producing batting tracks like that, they’re going to keep attracting batsmen from other countries.
“If cricketers want to play in the UK’s winter months, they want to come over and bat on good pitches and if the word and reputation gets around that Spotty makes these decks, they’re going to have no problem getting people coming over.
“That’s what batsmen want: good pitches where they can get into a rhythm and get runs under their belt and go back to the UK full of confidence.”
It was Young’s second ton in a week. He also torched Williamstown CYMS for 121 not out in a midweek Twenty20.
The former Adelaide University player has made 423 runs at 84.6 in all formats this season.
While Young is finding the middle of his bat, he’s not totally satisfied with his left-arm spin at the moment.
“I’d like my bowling to be better and to contribute more wickets.”
The Woodsmen are clinging to a top four spot after five rounds of inconsistent performances.
