SWITCHING clubs can be challenging, especially when you’re returning after more than a decade away.
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Except if you’re Ben Boyd.
The evergreen paceman’s return to Allansford this season after 11 years with Russells Creek has been seamless.
On-field, the 35-year-old has been as dangerous and miserly with the ball as ever. Off-field, he’s been surrounded by old friends.
“It’s been quite an easy transition,” Boyd said.
“There hasn’t been any problems.”
Boyd, who left Allansford to help develop newcomer Russells Creek, spent 11 seasons at Mack Oval, where he was part of three campaigns that ended with semi-finals.
In a decorated career, Boyd has captained the Warrnambool and District Cricket Association and consistently performed at a high level.
He was part of Allansford’s 1999-2000 premiership and today’s top-of-the-table Hopkins conference clash with Dennington will give an insight into the Gators’ 2014-15 finals aspirations.
Boyd, who has taken consecutive three-wicket hauls leading into today’s match, revealed he was yet to hit peak form this season. He said bowling in partnership with reigning cricketer of the year Kyall Timms, who has been equally economical, had been instrumental in his success.
He said Timms’ pressure from the other end had helped him take wickets.
“Someone has to get the wickets and it’s fallen my way,” he said
But he said Timms was due to reap some rewards.
“I’m getting better,” Boyd said.
“I need more cricket. Unfortunately we haven’t played a lot. That is the nature of the system with three weeks of T20.”
Boyd is planning to step up his own physical training and craves more time bowling in the middle as he prepares for another Country Week campaign with the association’s best cricketers.
“I need to do the bowling work. Even when it was a bit wet on Thursday night I had a good stint at it. I really do need the work, I just want to play cricket.”
Boyd misses tomorrow’s representative match against Colac because he is coach of the Western Waves side that will play Central Highlands in Ballarat.
Boyd’s Allansford has four wins and a loss entering today’s match against last season’s grand finalist Dennington at Allansford.
“The side has done well. We’ve had ourselves in some good positions and had ourselves in some challenging positions and been able to work our way through it.”
He said the Gators would be looking for another all-round performance, including good pressure in the field. But he knows the key to the outcome rests could rest with him and Timms opening the bowling to Dennington run machines Dustin Drew and Nick King.
“They are the in-form opening partnership in the competition,” Boyd said.
The Allansford-versus- Dennington encounter heads a blockbuster round of matches in the Hopkins conference, in which one plays two, third-placed Nirranda faces fourth-placed Merrivale and fifth-placed Nestles take on sixth-placed Brierly-Christ Church.
In the Merri conference, Port Fairy puts its newly-acquired top spot on the line against third-placed Russells Creek at Jetty Flat, second-placed Woodford hosts fourth-placed East Warrnambool-YCW and fifth-placed West Warrnambool is at home to bottom side Wesley-CBC.