The 45-year-old Bomaderry resident has been involved with cricket in the region since 1984 and believes he is the man to make the competition flourish once again.

“One of the main factors that I chose to stand for president, was to bring to end the bickering and infighting among the clubs and the association and to bring back the fun in cricket,” Howsan said.

“Over many seasons, the workload on club officials and captains has increased, so much so, that people are deciding to leave the game.

“I believe that as president, I can separate the game-day and non-game-day duties of cricketers and officials.

“Another factor was to increase the number of umpires within the association. With the numbers declining year after year, my aim to instil a process where we have more qualified umpires, and umpires officiating in all games, both senior and junior.

“Admittedly this will take many years, but I believe I can begin the process, and only time will be the true judge of success.

”I'm hoping that everyone can expect a lot more clarity and nonpartisan direction from the SDCA, as the stakeholders drive the sport in the same direction.

“I want cricket in the Shoalhaven to return to a state of dominance during the summer, not just on the field, but off the field, where player camaraderie and sportsmanship is of the highest value.”

Howsan isn’t just talking the talk, with him already plans of how to best achieve these goals.

“One of the first changes I need to make, is to reduce the cost,” he said.

“For many clubs, it costs tens of thousands of dollars to run per season, and with the Association making close to a $4,000 loss last season, I need to find avenues to inverse this trend of growing losses and debt.  By decreasing the costs to the Association, clubs and players, we will see more people playing cricket, then that will lead me to the next key issue.

“While there are many grounds where cricket is, or has been, played on in the Shoalhaven, many of these grounds, for one reason or another, do not conform with the minimum standards required. It is my aim to reverse this trend, and resurrect, or modify, many of these grounds to they are well above the standard required.

“As for the future, my main aim, is for a strong competition, along the lines of the major codes, whereby on any given day, any team can win.

“In the future, it is my hope that we have umpires in all matches, seniors and juniors, players representing us, at the highest of levels, and an annual carnival, bringing revenue to the Shoalhaven, and funds to the clubs.”