THE Bathurst under 21s will begin the defence of their Mitchell Colts premiership this Sunday when they travel to take on the Blue Mountains with a vastly different side to that which won last season’s grand final over Lithgow.
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Of the 12 who lined up in that decider back in February, Brendan Inwood, Tom Gransden, Joey Coughlan, Ben Curran, Jarrod Urza and Blake Aubin will be the only players in Sunday’s squad.
Premiership captain Josh Toole and batsman Sam Macpherson will return to the side later in the season but are unavailable this weekend due to an end-of-season hockey trip.
A host of younger players will fill the gaps in the team and hopefully create some selection headaches for coach Scott Inwood when Toole and Macpherson come back into calculations.
“There were three or four guys from last season who were too old to go around again and a few who have moved away,” he said.
“There are a lot of younger guys in this season so we’re just looking to get an early win against the Blue Mountains because the last thing you want is a loss and then get washed out a few times or something like that.”
Batsmen Nick Shurmer and Aaron Bell are no longer part of the squad, Bell taking a break from the game due to illness and Shurmer playing with St George in the Sydney grade competition.
Bowlers Jason Press and Craig Hanrahan both exceed the age limit and therefore out of calculations.
Into their spots come the likes of Oxford Centennials pair Andrew Brown and Peter McCleary, Rugby Union batsman Imran Qureshi who returns to Bathurst after a stint in Sydney, and Rugby Union youngsters Max Hope and Bill Hurley.
The biggest bolter of the squad is medium-pacer Jarred Portegies who plays with the Kelso Hotel club in the Bathurst third grade competition, but coach Inwood rates his ability with the ball, an important asset without Hanrahan or Press on deck.
“On paper the side probably isn’t quite as good as the team we had last season but in saying that there is a good mixture with some older guys and a lot of youth that will keep us going for quite a while,” Inwood said.
“The last thing I wanted to do was to have a squad full of players just under 21 and see them all go in a short time.
“I think we are probably just one bowler short at the moment so Joey Coughlan and Tom Gransden will have a big role to play. Pete McCleary and Max Hope are handy spinners too so when we play on turf they will be a good asset.”
Sunday’s match will be played on a synthetic pitch giving a slight advantage to the home side but Bathurst will still be expecting to come away with the win.
Brendan Inwood will lead the side and will be out to repeat his efforts from the last two matches of 2009-10 where he hit a century and a 98 in the grand final.
BATHURST: Brendan Inwood (c), Imran Qureshi, Joey Coughlan, Tom Gransden, Ben Curran, Jarrod Urza, Blake Aubin, Andrew Brown, Max Hope, Bill Hurley, Jarred Portegies, Peter McCleary
