Four years ago Ulladulla's Matthew Gilkes was elevated to the NSW Blues squad following a strong Futures League Campaign.
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Now in 2022 the strong batsman and wicketkeeper has made a name for himself, as a reliable and skilled player with a strong future ahead and a mainstay for the Blues squad.
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The now 22-year-old made his First Class and List A debuts for the Blues back in 2019, netting the highest First Class score of 83 against South Australia back in 2020.
The young cricketer flashed his limitless potential in the Marsh Cup blasting 82 from just 51 deliveries against Western Australia..
Gilkes was a member of the Sydney Thunder of the Big Bash League, being noted as a strong part of the teams young core along with Tanveer Sangha and Ollie Davies.
The young cricketer has had a number of big performances for the Thunder, including a classy 93 against the Adelaide Strikers earlier this year.
Gilkes will be joined by several 'mature aged' cricketers making their Shield debuts, including Sydney BBL Player of the Tournament, Hayden Kerr and Blake Nikitaras who's coming off a brilliant Premier Cricket season.
Kerr scorched the green in his first-class debut against Victoria in which he notched a half-century, following up the performance with 88 against Tasmania. It is the all-rounders first full-time contract.
Nikitaras who hails from Oak Flats, left a great impression when he suited up for the final match of the season, notching 44 and 56 against South Australia.
The Blues finished fourth in the Sheffield Shield last season and were on the losing end in the final of the Marsh Cup against Western Australia.
The lacklustre weather didn't help either with the squad only being able to complete two of their six regular season matches due to the weather.
The Blues have maintained a reputation of excellence however, having won the competition a record 47 times.
Time will only tell, whether or not this revamped Blues squad will be a return to excellence for the state.