NESTLES rising star Charlie Locke is determined to make the most of a fresh start in maroon and gold.
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The 17-year-old batsman has found a new lease of life at the Reid Oval club, forming part of a youth-laden team which is yet to lose a game in the region’s top division.
Locke capped a stunning start to life at Factory with an innings of 34 on Saturday, taking his total average from the first three matches of the year to 46.5 runs per innings.
The former Russells Creek junior said he was invigorated by the energy on display at his new club.
He said he had grand ambitions to take his cricket beyond the south-west in the future but would aim to help in Nestles’ hopes of a Warrnambool and District finals berth.
“I’ve tried to look at this year as a fresh start for me. I really enjoyed my time at Creek but I’ve tried to approach this differently,” Locke said.
“I spoke to Darren Loft, who is a selector at the club in pre-season and he told me I’d be joining a young club, but that didn’t mean we wouldn’t be aiming for finals.
“I think we’ve got the talent, skill and ability to go all the way but its in the back of our minds at the moment.”
The Warrnambool College student said he had been training with mastercoach Stephen Field in Dunkeld for the majority of the pre-season.
“This year for me is all about playing the game, trying to score some runs and having fun. I don’t want to set myself a big goal, I think I’m just going to keep it simple," Locke said.