BOMADERRY have gone international for the 2014-15 season, with Tom Walters arriving at the club from England last week.
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The 19-year-old is a left-handed batsman and comes from Outwood Cricket Club in Surrey.
It was there that he met Bomaderry players Jordan Matthews and John Muggleton, who played for the club during the recent English summer.
Walters spent time down under on a school tour in Perth when he was 15 and jumped at the opportunity to come and play a full season.
“I loved it the first time, so when the boys invited me I was straight onto it,” he said.
“[The idea] came up in a chat just casually more than seriously, but I think we thought about it more and more and just realised it was a really good idea,” he added.
Getting to Australia was a bit of an ordeal for Walters, who landed in Sydney in the pouring rain, during a thunderstorm.
“When we landed the plane was getting blown around and it was a bit of a nightmare getting out of the place,” he said.
“We landed at 8, but we didn’t get out of the airport until about 2, we were just sitting in the plane doing nothing.
“Then they lost our bags, so we had to go back the day after!”
While it was not the best introduction to the country, Walters has enjoyed his time since arriving in the Shoalhaven.
“There’s a lot more open space than where I’m from and it’s less busy, which is really good.
“I’ve been trying out all the beer… drinking cold beer is better than warm.”
Walters made his debut for Bomaderry in their loss to Albion Park in the Country Shield on Sunday and is already feeling at home with the club.
He is coming in on the back of a good season in the UK, where he averaged over 50 with the bat and is hoping he can bring the same form.
“Hopefully I’ll improve my cricket a lot over here and bring that back to England when I’m finished,” he said.
“I want to get a few tons, but basically just be a big part of the team and hopefully we can win something due to my contributions.”
From what he has already seen, Walters said the Shoalhaven competition looks like a step up from what he’s used to, but is confident he can compete if he works hard on his game.
One person who feels he is more than capable is Bomaderry captain Jordan Matthews.
“Our batting improved drastically last season but having an extra batsman like Tom in there will make a difference,” Matthews said.
“If we lose early wickets we tend to struggle a bit in the middle order, but I’m hoping Tom will make some big scores during the year.
“If he can chip in consistently and applies himself, I have no doubt he will make runs here.”
Walters is one of three players from the UK who is trying his luck in the Shoalhaven this year.
The others are Welsh duo Matthew Jackson and Ryan Taylor at Nowra and Walters is looking forward to the prospect of playing against them.
“Definitely, I’ve got a bit of sledging lined up for them already,” he said.
So far he has only been on the receiving end of a bit of friendly banter with his Bomaderry teammates, but Walters will be ready to fight fire with fire if any sledging comes his way.
When asked if there has been any banter about the Ashes, Walters paused before giving a long sigh.
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to go away.”