Northsiders' senior players retire

Northsiders’ Mat James (right) celebrates winning the 2009-2010 IWMCA grand final against Laidley with his team mates.

File

NORTHSIDERS scaled the heights to end Laidley’s Ipswich Division One cricketing reign last summer.

The chances of extending their own have taken a severe battering, however, with the retirement of a number of senior players.

Mathew James, Michael Hillier and Billy Jack are all confirmed retirees, Tim Wichura and Matt Bowden remain undecided while 2009-10 captain Tim Clarke may miss much of the season on an extended holiday.

James will remain on the Northsiders committee, though no longer as club secretary.

The 37-year-old former Australian Country leg-spinner admitted the motivation was no longer there to play another season. “Unfortunately, they’re about to start training and quite frankly, I don’t want to,” the man known as Stick said with a straighter bat than he ever showed at the crease.

“If I could just turn up on Saturdays and play, I would.

“I’m a little too old now to train twice a week. I’ve got more aches and pains and I work in the city.

“My job’s getting bigger and better and it’s a rush to get to training. I just can’t force myself to do that.”

Both Jack and Hillier are in similar positions, with work and family making it hard, while Wichura is expecting to be a father soon.

James admits it may have been a different story had the Tigers not won last summer’s grand final against Laidley.

But having achieved their burning ambition, they no longer have the incentive to keep pushing themselves.

“For me personally, the motivation is not there now,” James said.

“We got to the summit.”

James concedes the retirements will mean expectations for the club’s Division One team might have to be downgraded this season.

“Last year was one of those where all the planets aligned,” he said.

“I still think they’re capable of winning but we might have to look at some more long-term plans.

“It was an old team last year and that’s got to change.”

The club’s junior stars are a bit too young to make the step up yet, meaning some of last year’s Division Two players will have to produce the goods.

“Unfortunately our production line of young fellas are younger than young,” James said.

“They’re 16 and 17 with a real gap to the 25-year-olds.”

The club had high hopes for off-spinner Mitch Rolender to replace James as the team’s slow bowling specialist, but a shoulder reconstruction will keep him out the early stages of the season at least.

The club’s leading wicket-taker in second grade, John Thompson, is another James expects to make the step up.

“He’s a good quick and would be playing first grade at almost any other club,” James said.