HAMILTON NORTH cricket club has unveiled its English import player for the 2023/24 Hamilton and District Cricket Association season, as Oscar Newell had his first look at an Australian ground at Monivae College on Monday.

At 18-years-old, Newell is a young all-rounder who arrived in the country last week and immediately was immersed into the AFL grand final along with his new teammates.

He has had his first training run at the Monivae Hub indoor centre, where he blew away some on the cobwebs after such a long flight, and reports are that he had the batsmen he bowled to in trouble with his bounce and pace.

Newell hails from the Tanworth and Camp Hill Cricket Club in the Cotswold Hills Association in the West Midlands, where he has played all his cricket having represented the club at every age group level, and now is a fixture in its First XI team in the premier division.

The young all-rounder takes the new ball for his club at home and no doubt will also be handed it for Hamilton North.

He has been timed at bowling at 70-75mph (112-120kph) which makes him slippery and most likely the quickest bowler in the HDCA B-C grade competition.

As a right-hand inswing bowler, he will have to gain control of the Kookaburra ball quickly or suffer the umpire calling “wide” with ball swinging down the legside.

“We use a Dukes ball at home, so to use the Kookaburra here will be an experience that I’m looking forward to,” Newell said.

He will bat anywhere from four to six in the batting order, where he will give the Hammers much needed stability, looking to add to his century collection.

“I will be trying to do the best we can as a club and have success,” Newell said when asked about his goals for the summer.

“It’s completely different to how we roll at home, with more training here than at home.

“We would train for longer sessions at home but less times per week, with up to four hours at a time.

“Only play on turf wickets at home, so I am really looking forward to playing at Monivae, as it looks to be a great surface for both batsmen and bowlers.

“I’ve never played a game on a hard wicket (synthetic) but we train on one at home, so I have some experience on the surface.

“I’ve got a mate who came to our club (at home) from the Hawkesdale club and we will catch up during the summer.

The HDCA representative selectors will no doubt have an eye on his progress with the Festival of Cricket rep games set to begin at the end of this month and the annual Melbourne Country Week in February 2024.