For the 12th consecutive year, Tom Groth will play for NSW Country at the national country championships. He joked that the 15 extra kilograms he now carried was the biggest difference between the cricketer he was 12 years ago and the one he was now.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
He also said he was now 12 years wiser.
Indeed, while Groth's girth has expanded, his silky smooth skills behind the stumps remain unrivalled in regional NSW.
Read also:
At last year's nationals, he became NSW Country's most-capped player.
On Friday, the Bush Blues commence their 2020 nationals campaign in Toowoomba, with T20 clashes against South Australia and the ACT.
Groth - the South Tamworth and Central North captain - said he felt "lucky" to have been a Bush Blue for so long. "It's good. I'm just happy to be here, really," he said.
When asked how long he envisioned playing for NSW, he said "it's probably just a year by year thing at the moment".
"But we'll see how it all goes, and see how the body pulls up ... It would be nice to get a result here and go from there."
NSW Country won the championships in 2018. And under Groth's leadership in 2019 they won the T20 final but then struggled. "That would be unreal if we can get it done [this year]," Groth said.
Being 12 years wiser, Groth knows intimately what is required to get through the nationals - a energy sapping tournament where teams play 10 games over eight days, with the possibility of playing in the final on the ninth day.
Redback Michael Rixon will make his NSW Country debut this year. He told the Leader this week that the event's endurance aspect was "gruelling on you mentally and physically".
Groth said: "I'm aware of how to get ready for it [the championships]. And I know what's ahead of me ... I've spoke to him [Rixon] quite a bit in the last month."
Groth added: "He's pretty keen, and he's ready to go."
The veteran said there was a "handful" of new faces in the Bush Blues this year, augmenting the "core group" of players with championship experience.
