Cricket: Travis Oakley snares four for Albion to continue successful return to cricket

Prior to the 2022/23 season, the Queensland native had not pulled on the spikes since he was about 14.

Though he once harboured vague ambitions of playing at a high level, his interest waned as a teenager and a passion for the rugby codes took precedence.

But after some cajoling by his Gunnedah AFL coach, Andy Mack, Oakley donned the whites once again, and found he had not lost any of his potency with ball in hand.

"You'd like to think you're pretty confident [coming back to the sport], but yeah, I'm a bit surprised that I'm still able to bowl fairly decently," Oakley said.

In the maroon colours of Albion, Oakley's medium pace has been difficult to get away.

In no match was that more evident than Saturday's clash against Court House at Kitchener Oval, where he took 4-7 on a challenging wicket and cleaned up the tail to ensure Albion only needed 95 to win.

"We've got a decent bowling attack with Ash [White], Cam [Waugh], so that makes it a lot easier when they can keep their end tight and I can come on and worry about hitting the pegs," Oakley said.

Although they lost seven wickets in pursuit, James Mack's 23 from number four was "crucial" and "probably worth 50-odd on that wicket", his brother and captain, Andy, said.

The four-wicket haul was Oakley's best return of the season, and continued a successful streak in which he has taken at least one wicket in nearly every match.

"He got the rewards of the middle period where Jonno Crowe and Mitch Herden bowled well," Andy said.

"Early on, Cam Waugh bowled a good opening spell, then Trav came on and cleaned up the last four wickets which was really handy ... it was really valuable."

Oakley's youth was spent jumping between homes and states. He grew up in Queensland, before relocating to Forster with his family as a teenager, and then moved back to Queensland before finally landing in Gunnedah a couple of years ago.

He initially moved to town to be closer to his extended relatives, many of whom live in the region.

And he has found a similarly familial atmosphere among Albion, who he said were "really welcoming".

It was a pleasing reintroduction to cricket for the young man who was, by his own admission, "a bit of a sport nut" when he was young, and dabbled in basketball, AFL, rugby league, and union. But it came at a cost.

Due to repeated head knocks while playing footy in his teens, Oakley was left with mild epilepsy which made it difficult to find work. Instead, he spends his days caring for his mother, who herself lives with medical issues which limit her mobility.

But his condition is not an issue on the cricket pitch, where he has rediscovered a love of the sport which had burned bright as a child.

"Mostly I was big on cricket. I played it heaps when I was younger," Oakley said.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: