Tara Murray
Things continue to build for Eynesbury in the Gisborne and District Cricket Association.
One of the smaller clubs in the competition, the Eagles have seen an increase in numbers as locals start to head down to the club as it grows.
New president Tristian Francis said that things were looking really good at the club.
“Numbers at training have been phenomenal,” he said. “The club is in pretty good shape and we were contemplating putting in a fourth side.
“We are getting 30-plus guys at pre-season training. There’s a lot of new faces and a lot of local residents have come out of the woodwork.”
Francis has taken on the presidency role this season and remains captain of the first XI, but has stepped down as coach.
Jamie Bolger will coach the side, which Francis is excited about.
“I said to the committee that I will take over the presidency, but I can’t continue to coach as well,” he said.
“It’s pleasing for the club to have Jamie on board. He’s someone who has coached around the traps including at Melton Centrals and Melton.
“His first year was at the club last year coming from Melton. He’s a local that lives around the corner.”
Having locals on board remains the key focus of the Eagles. With new facilities, Francis said they could cater for those looking to play a bit more seriously or someone just wanting a hit.
“It’s one of the best facilities in the GDCA,” he said. “They are state of the art and we’ve invested in Frog Box so we can stream our home games.
“There’s been some big investments made. We would love a couple of extra nets to help with training.”
The Eagles have lost a couple of young guns this season as they push to try at higher levels.
Will Smith and Elias Molivas have both gone to Victorian Sub-District Cricket, while Ryan Cran has gone to Victorian Premier Cricket.
“They’ve gone to spread their wings,” Francis said.
“We’ve got a few in Subbies and a number at Yarraville Club in the VTCA [Victorian Turf Cricket Association].
“Ryan has made his way to premier cricket. He’s the first junior from Eynesbury to make premier cricket.”
The Eagles continue to invest in their junior program with former Melbourne Renegades women’s coach Duncan Harrison running the junior program for the first half of the season.
The GDCA season was set to get underway on Saturday, but was cancelled due to heavy rain leaving most grounds unplayable.
The Eagles top side this season is in the Johnstone Shield. They are set to face Macedon on Saturday in round two.
Francis said they hadn’t gone out to recruit players.
“We want to be competitive first and foremost,” he said. “We want local residents and give them the option to play competitive or social cricket.
“We’ve got good people at the club that want to be there.”
