Cricket: Jye Paterson finds benefit in new golfing hobby

The Bective-East captain is enjoying his best start to a season with the bat for a while.

Heading into the Christmas-New Year break he was competition's second highest run-scorer with 144 at an average of 48.00 and a highest score of 77no. He was also fifth on the bowling ranks with seven and a best of 3-32.

It is he admitted probably the best he has felt "for a couple of years" and attributed his form in part to his new 'hobby'.

The allrounder had always played "every now and then" but since COVID has been regularly hitting the fairways.

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"It was probably more my brother Luke got into it and then I kind of went I might as well; you can't get out there and do anything else so might as well go around and have a game of golf," he said.

"And it's just kind of become more of a hobby the longer it goes."

From playing "maybe five times a year" he is now playing up to twice a week.

He believes it has helped his cricket, noting that "you look at the ball more when you play golf".

"Through the off-season I was still playing golf, so you're still looking at a ball, still hitting a ball," he said.

The competition resumes on Saturday with a round of Twenty20s with the Bulls facing North Tamworth in the second of two games at No.1 Oval.

They play at 3.30pm, following on from City United and West Tamworth. The early games start at 12pm with Old Boys and South Tamworth matching up at Chaffey Park in the other game.

The Bulls are currently fourth with two wins, two draws and two losses.

"We started really well (they won their first two), we just probably haven't batted as well the last couple of games. I think our bowlers have done really well and bowled really well, we just probably haven't batted like we should be," Paterson said.

"All the boys know that and they've had a bit of time to think about that now. Hopefully we can come back and try and get into a bit of form again."

He said it's probably a matter of a bit more concentration, and "picking your ball and picking your area" rather than "just kind of hitting the ball and hoping for the best."

The T20 game, he concedes, probably doesn't suit their batting as much, but he backs the attack to be able to either "get a few early wickets" or, if they can "put a decent score on the board" defend it.

The precarity of the COVID situation will add an interesting dimension going forward with clubs likely to be without players due to isolation protocols.

The Bulls will, to Paterson's knowledge, be missing at least one player for Saturdays game due to that.

"It will be interesting seeing how the cricket in town is hurt by all this COVID stuff," he said.

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