TRIPLE figures in the opening innings of the season marked the perfect start to the new campaign for Ouyen Rams batsman Conor Schultz.
The 20-year-old peeled off his third Red Cliffs Cricket Association A Grade century against Cardross on Saturday, finishing with an even 100 as the defending premiers defeated the Lions by 105 runs.
It was Schultz’s second ton against Cardross, with three of his five highest scores coming against the Lions.
The powerful batter admitted he struggled early with the pace of the pitch but felt at ease as time went by.
“I felt a bit scratchy early on, it was a tricky pitch in terms of picking the pace of the ball, but once you spend a bit of time out there, you start to feel a bit more comfortable,” he said.
“Considering the rain in the lead up, Cardy did an awesome job to get
a pitch ready to play on. It was one of the trickier wickets I’ve played on but again, spending a bit time out there helps.
“It was good to get out there. We’ve been eager to get on the field especially after the first few weeks were washed out.”
Schultz came into the new season off the back of his best personal campaign with the bat in 2021/22. The right-hander scored an aggregate of 564 runs at an average of 43.38, including four half-centuries, only beaten by Nursery Ridge’s Shannon Bowen (803 at 89.22).
He said, however, he didn’t feel the pressure of emulating that form for the new season.
“I was pretty relaxed and trying not to over think about my game too much,” he said.
“I’ve been lucky enough to play with and against some of the best players in the competition and you try to learn little bits and pieces as you go.
“Obviously coming off the premiership last year, we feel we’ve got a well balanced team with some really good leadership.
“The end goal is to go back-to-back. The competition for spots in our side is there again which is great, and we’ll just roll on with the season and see how it plays out.”
Prior to the season starting, Rams captain Brad Parsons said Schultz’s form in last season was one of the biggest factors in the side winning the flag.
“Honestly our batting let us down last year, but Conor really stood up so without him, and other contributions at different times during the season we probably wouldn’t have won the flag,” he said.
