WICKETKEEPER and top-order batsman Les Sandwith will return to Ballarat cricket as a Mountie.
The former Napoleons-Sebastopol grand final player spent last summer with Lara in the Geelong Cricket Association division one.
He arrives back with new Mt Clear coach Nathan Yates, the former East Ballarat captain-coach, to Ballarat Cricket Association action.
Yates said they both looked forward to returning to Ballarat with a new challenge.
“(Sandwith) made a couple of good scores towards the end of the year and kept well (for Lara),” Yates said.
“When I sort of decided to come back, he was happy to come too.”
Sandwith was an established opening batsman for Napoleons-Sebastopol in club firsts before his season with Lara.
He worked his way up to opening for the Cats last summer, posting 105 not out in the final round’s play.
Yates, a damaging all-rounder, has spent the past two seasons playing with Lara and was enticed to join Mt Clear via Mounties captain Lincoln Blake, a good friend.
The Mounties have also reinforced their bowling attack by recruiting former Golden Point quick Ash Gunn.
Yates said Gunn joined the Mounties via a work colleague, and was returning to the game after a couple of seasons’ break. Gunn has been cleared from district club Creswick Imperials.
Kiwi Shaun Coffey, a former division one cricketer in New Zealand, has also joined the Mounties’ camp.
Coffey is a quality top-three batsman that has moved to Ballarat for work.
Yates said his squad had been shaping up well with about 30 to 35 players in the nets each session in the off-season.
He expected another three or four top-24 players to resume training in the next fortnight after football commitments.
The Mounties have a practice match this weekend against Geelong Cricket Association division one club North Geelong, which Yates said should be a good, solid hit-out.
SOURCE: The Courier – Wednesday 18th September 2013