A FAMILIAR face will be leading City United into the new cricket season after former captain Brad Smith decided to step down from the role.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Peter Mead will make a return to the first-grade helm, in the hopes of improving on United's second-place 2018-2019 finish.
A club stalwart, Mead said he was eager to step back into the first-grade playing ranks.
"It's been quite some time since I played first grade, but I'm really looking forward to giving it a go," Mead told the Leader.
"We thought adding me to the mix might help bring some of the younger guys up to that first-grade level.
"A lot of those younger guys had a great summer last year and we're hopeful we can continue to develop this season."
Read Also:
Mead said he would have big shoes to fill after "the great job" Smith did last summer.
"Brad has a young family, so his reasons for stepping down as captain are completely understandable," he said.
"I think Brad did a great job last summer and that is reflected in some of the results last season.
"Our aim this summer will be to build on that good work and hopefully take the next step."
Having fallen short in last season's preliminary final, his side would look to improve its batting ahead of the new season, Mead said.
"I think it is fair to say with guys like Tait Jordan and Jack McVey in our side, our pace attack was our strength last season," he said.
"However, while our pace attack really stood out, our batting did let us down at times.
"So with that in mind, we will certainly be looking to improve our batting during the off season.
"I think it could be the difference between us taking that next step, so hopefully we can improve that area and take that next step."
Coming up against North Tamworth in round one on Saturday, Mead said United would be without two of their key players.
"From what I understand, Tom Fitzgerald and Jack McVey will both be out for the first couple of rounds," he said.
"That is a bit of a loss for us, but I'm pretty confident we will be able to cover them.
"In my opinion, with how dry the weather has been, I think our spinners will come into play a lot more.
"I reckon the pitches will turn a bit, so we will probably be looking toward guys like Anoop Gopalakrishnan and Scotty Brennan to take some wickets for us."
As for his own captaincy style, Mead said he would "look to be pretty attacking".
"I think we have a pretty good balance of youth and experience," he said.
"We should have a pretty balanced side; hopefully we can find our groove in the first few weeks."