BIG Ben is about to return from England and the Saints can't wait for him to chime in.
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With St Pat's Old Boys on a mission to head into the mid-season break near the top of the Bathurst Orange Inter District Cricket Association ladder, they have been bolstered by the news of Ben Parson's looming return.
The all-rounder is set to line-up on day two of the Saints clash with Bathurst rivals Rugby Union - a match which commences this Saturday - and skipper Adam Ryan is delighted.
"It will get congested on that ladder if we don't keep putting our best foot forward, but we'll get one of our big guns back next week hopefully, Benny Parsons is coming back into the the country and he's available for the second week, so we're really looking forward to seeing him again," he said.
"That's really going to boost our bowling and our batting, all-round he's just a fantastic cricketer.
"He'll boost the morale of the side for sure. He'll be fantastic, it's like having a marquee in the Bonnor [Royal Hotel Cup].
"As he's been away he hasn't played a super amount of cricket, he'll probably be a bit rusty to begin with, but we're really excited at the prospect of having him back."
Parsons has played 21 games in the top grade for the Saints over the past three seasons, his highlights including an unbeaten 102 against Centennials Bulls and a 5-28 in the 2017-18 grand final against Rugby Union.
The Saints head into the clash with Rugby sitting third on the ladder, but on equal points with second-placed Cavaliers thanks to three wins through four rounds.
Rugby has done it tougher thus far with just one win, but there are still positives. Jeremy Thackray is in good touch with the ball, having claimed 5-64 off 22 overs last Saturday against Centrals.
It was his first five-wicket haul since taking 5-67 in the 2017-18 Bathurst District Cricket Association semi-final against the Saints.
That effort comes after his 4-48 off 21 overs - of which eight were maidens - against Orange City and takes his overall tally of BOIDC victims this season to 11.
