Those eagerly awaiting to see what Matt Everett could do with the willow in hand didn't have to wait long for an indication of his talents on Sunday.
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A former Sydney first grader who has previously opened the batting with the likes of Australian star David Warner, the former Tamworth and Bective-East star made his Dubbo debut in Sunday's Western Zone Premier League clash with Parkes after harvest commitments allowed him little game time prior to Christmas.
After Parkes had posted a competitive 175 in the match at No. 1 Oval, Everett strode out to the middle and punched the first ball of the run chase through the cover for four.
The right-hander, who is now based at Gilgandra, went on to top-score with 54 as Dubbo scraped to a narrow two-wicket win over a spirited Parkes side.
"It's good to be able to have some time to play some cricket and this was a quality game," Everett said.
"I've only had a couple of bats at Gil but it was nice to spend some time in the middle. I try not to think about it too much really, just see the ball and hit the ball and try and get some runs away."
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Runs weren't easy to come by on Sunday, with Everett one of only a few batters able to spend meaningful time in the middle.
After Parkes won the toss and opted to bat they began well and Myles Smith and Harry Bayliss added 44 for the first wicket before the former was removed by Ben Knaggs (2/30) for 19.
Wickets then begin to fall at regular intervals as spinners Mitch Bower (1/19), Marty Jeffrey (1/30) and Brock Larance (1/46) applied pressure, but Bayliss continued to keep the score ticking over.
The youngster was eventually removed by Larance for 52 while quick Bailey Edmunds (3/28) returned to the attack late on and finished things inside 49 overs.
Everett and Ben Wheeler got the chase off to a brilliant start and Dubbo looked to be cruising at 0/52 after just six overs.
But Blake Smith soon got the visitors back into the contest as he removed Wheeler (29), Jeffrey (0), and Larance (0) in the space of eight balls.
Tom Nelson (23) provided some brief support but when he and Everett, who mixed attack with patience in his knock, were both dismissed by Brad Parker (3/39) an upset was on the cards.
But, proving Dubbo's depth of quality batters, Tom Barber and Ben Knaggs added a crucial 37 runs for the eighth wicket.
Hopefully I can bring a bit of that experience back here and help out.
- Matt Everett on his time in Sydney
Barber fell for 21 just before the target was reached but Knaggs (28 not out) ensured last season's runners-up got the job done
"It was a good game and this is a good bunch of blokes," Everett said.
"They (Parkes) were really good. The young fella at the top (Bayliss) showed a bit of promise and batted well and that 170-odd was a decent score, but we've got a deep batting order.
"We got a fair start early and then we were in a little trouble but we've got depth in the batting order and got it done."
A country junior who previously spent most of his time in Tamworth, Everett is expected to be named in the Western Zone squad for the upcoming Country Championships in the coming days and he's looking forward to as much cricket as possible now his work commitments have eased
"I've got a bit more time to play some cricket and I'm looking forward to it. It's been a little while and I had had a nice break, but it's nice to be back," he said, before speaking about his time with Randwick-Petersham in Sydney.
"I loved my time in Sydney. I had about five seasons down there and I met some big players and some really good blokes. Hopefully I can bring a bit of that experience back here and help out."