Many Crookwell and Goulburn residents know Ollie Anable as a young, talented bowler with serious pace.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Those who haven't watched him play cricket of late were given a stark update on the youngster's progress over the weekend, when he played for ACT Southern Districts in the NSW Country Championships Southern Pool at Goulburn.
One of two former Goulburn District Cricket Association alumni in the team - alongside former Goulburn resident Brad Smith - Anable put on a display of fast bowling which showed exactly why he is one of the most highly-touted young bowlers currently playing in the Canberra competition.
Over the course of the first two matches, Anable bowled quickly and consistently had opposition batsmen playing and missing or unsure of their footwork.
On Friday, the first day of the competition, Anable took 4-26 and nearly steered ACTSD to an unlikely victory over eventual pool winners Riverina.
On a wicket which was two-paced and displaying variable bounce, the 20-year-old's pace, accuracy, and swing was not quite enough to bring Riverina undone in their pursuit of 139, but marked him as a bowler to watch for the tournament.
"I think personally, especially in the first game I bowled quite well," Anable said.
"I was pretty happy with how I executed my plans."
Game two, on Saturday against Illawarra, did not reap any wickets for Anable, but on another flat Seiffert Oval wicket, he had the batsmen hopping and even floored one with a vicious bouncer.
His ability to adapt his game to suit the conditions was clear, and Anable felt the wickets aided his style of bowling throughout the weekend.
"The wickets over the past three days were doing enough, so I felt like bowling seam up with the odd variation," he said.
"There was enough in the wickets to aid the fast bowlers."
While he was rested during the third match, Anable was thrilled with the opportunity to take to Seiffert Oval once again in front of his friends and family.
"I've played a lot of junior cricket here, so it's good to get back home and have the family come and watch," he said.
"I always enjoy coming back home and playing."
By the end of the weekend, ACTSD had won two of three matches and Anable had four wickets at 17 apiece. He was "very happy" with his performance, and said the opportunity to play in representative tournament like the Country Championships has been a huge driver of his improvement in recent years.
"You get a lot, in terms of playing with older blokes, you learn a lot from them," Anable said.
"I grab every opportunity like these country carnivals. They're getting stronger each year, and the players are getting better."
While you're with us...
Did you know the Goulburn Post is now offering breaking news alerts and a weekly email newsletter? Keep up-to-date with all the local news: sign up here.
