Tara Murray
Macedon has locked in one of its biggest signings ever, signing West Indian Alex Browne for the Gisborne and District Cricket Association McIntyre Cup season.
The Cats, who are playing in the McIntyre Cup for a second straight year, have been working hard behind the scenes to bring in a few players and strengthen their squad.
Browne comes to the club following a successful season in England with bat and ball for Thame Town.
He is expected to also provide experience and guidance to the Cats younger players as well throughout the season.
Cats Tim Berzins said they were pretty excited to bring Browne in, who is the son of former West Indies international Courtney Browne
“He’s an international recruit who has had a really strong season in England,” he said. He is a top order bat and an off spinner.
“It’s exciting for the club to have someone of that level at the club. I don’t believe the club has had an import before, I know they haven’t in my time at the club.”
Berzins, who has stood down as coach due to work commitments, has been involved in the recruiting side of things.
He said they’ve done a lot of work behind the scenes to secure the likes of Browne and another three or four players who will be in the mix for the first XI.
Darcy Doyle returns to the club, while Matthew Stonier, who has been playing at Bentleigh, has moved to the area and joined the club.
A number of younger guys have also committed to the club which is exciting moving forward.
As for the coaching, it will be a joint venture with a number of players stepping up to help out.
Berzins said they were hoping to build on last season when they finished in sixth spot.
“The aim last year was to be as competitive as we could be,” he said. “We wanted to grow and build as a club which is hard in a small town like ours.
“We’ve got good messages in place and we’ve in a position to grow on that this season.
“Our expectations are to grow and develop our youngsters. Last year we had some inexperience at the bottom end.
“We want to keep improving and the rest will take care of itself.”
The Cats start their season on October 5 against Woodend in a one-dayer.
