MILDURA East has ushered in an exciting new era for the club by signing an English import to shore up their top order.
Wicketkeeper/batsman Josh Andrews was given a first-hand look at East’s new multi-million dollar home at the Mildura Sporting Precinct this week as the club prepares for their move from City Oval.
Mildura East coach Josh Berry admitted the facility had proven a big selling point in their recruitment process.”We needed a face, an Englishman for the new facility,” Berry said.
“In terms of senior recruitment, Ryan Muir from Irymple, Joshy Andrews from overseas obviously and a few others have jumped on board that haven’t played for a few years as well.”
Andrews is fresh from a solid season playing in the Derbyshire Premier League and was looking forward to an uninterrupted summer of cricket abroad.
“(The weather) has been horrible in England this year so it’ll be nice to consistently have good weather and play cricket, the amount of games that were called off or rain affected was just silly,” he said.
Berry said there was a buzz at the club as progress continued in the overall development of the Mildura Sporting Precinct.
“Here we get brand new everything,” he said. “We didn’t even have change rooms at our last facility so being able to have a shower and change inside will be good,” he said.
The new training nets are still under construction but are expected to be in use before the end of October.
“The nets are probably the first thing we’ll have access to and once we start training out here it’ll be good to use the social rooms too,” Berry said.
Andrews, who recently completed his university studies said it was a “gut feeling” to come to Mildura.
And his immediate impression of the pristine oval at MSP was positive.
“The grass looks really green which is a good sign although AFL is an alien sport to me so it’s different seeing the goal posts,” he said.
Having spent a lot of his time Sheffield, an English city where his team, Eckington Cricket Club, was based, Andrews also looked forward to the change in lifestyle.
But after the wet English winter, his new coach had been sure to warn him that it was expected to be a particularly hot Mildura summer.
“You’re more likely to have a game called off due to the heat than rain here is what I told him,” Berry said.
