Perennial contender Romsey is hoping its experience will prove a key factor in the Gisborne and District Cricket Association this summer.
The Redbacks have claimed a drought-breaking McIntyre Cup premiership, finished runner-up and made a semi-final in the past three seasons.
Little has changed over the off-season and captain-coach Ben Way is hopeful the club’s top side is approaching the sweet spot when it comes to natural improvement.
“There’s a bit of stiff competition around this year by the looks of it,” Way said.
“As normal, we haven’t changed too much in our list, so we’re pretty similar.
“We’re just trying to get 5 per cent better here and there, and hopefully be there at the end of the season.
“We’re getting that bit older now. It’s one of those games, cricket, where I don’t think you get to your best until you’re probably in your 30s. Most of our guys are somewhere between 25 and 30 now, so we’re at the stage where they should be seeing the game a bit better, and hopefully we can do that in the key moments at the back end of the year.”
Romsey was hammered by eventual premier Gisborne in the semi-finals in 2024-25.
Chris Burkett (534 runs at 41.08) and Way (530 at 44.17) led the way with the beat last season, while star all-rounder Tyler Stevenson (439 at 33.77) also impressed.
Stevenson (34 wickets at 19.68) starred with the ball, while Aaron Paterson (19 at 27.37) and Jamie Taylor (16 at 29.94) also had productive campaigns.
While the Redbacks boast a stable line-up, Way said he expected competition for spots in the first XI.
“I think our seconds have been in the last three grand finals and I think we’ve only missed finals once in the last eight or nine years,” Way said.
“We do have depth … and I think most of our twos have played up in the ones, and not just one or two games, but a handful of games over the last couple of seasons, so we’ve definitely got the depth.
“We’ve also got improvement in some of those younger guys coming through, which just takes time. We’ll be expecting to be around the mark again hopefully.”
Way said he expected Gisborne, which has won the past two flags, and Woodend to be among the leading contenders.
“All last year there was five teams fighting for four spots … and there’ll be someone pretty decent who missed out,” he said.
The Redbacks beat Sunbury United in the season opener, with Stevenson hitting a 100.
The Redbacks will then tackle Gisborne, Macedon and Woodend in what looms as a testing start to the campaign.
“If we can start well, we’ll hopefully be setting ourselves up for a good season,” Way said.
On Saturday, the Redbacks proved no match for Gisborne.
The Dragons made 8-286 from their overs, with Romsey bowled out for 186 in reply.
