Cricketer Cowan aims to be Wizard of Oz

Apr 30 2008

FIRED-UP Ed Cowan has set his sights on steering Uddingston Cricket Club to the SNCL Premier Division title.

The 25-year-old Australian is at Bothwell Castle Policies as part of a dual deal which also allows him to play for Scotland Saltires.

Ed admits being able to turn out for his adopted homeland played a major part in his decision to join the Villagers.

And he’s just eager to help both sides achieve more success.

The New South Wales State opener made a perfect start to his season with Uddingston, clocking up a brilliant 163 runs in a 181-run win over NVT Poloc on Saturday.

Cowan said: “It’s nice to get a win in your first game. Hopefully it will help Uddingston gather a momentum. I hope Uddingston can have a good crack at the title; I’ve heard that they’ve always done well but never really threatened and finish around mid-table.

“We’ve been a bit of a sleeper side with nothing really expected of us, but there is a lot of talent there and hopefully this season will be different.

“If we play like we did on Saturday we should be able to beat almost anybody, but although it’s a cliche, we’ll just worry about what we can do.

“Nothing would make me happier than winning the league with Uddingston, because it would show that we have really played our part and contributed — hopefully that will be similar with the Saltires soon.

“Every game is a new game and as the overseas professional people will expect centuries off me all the time — so no pressure!”

However, Cowan’s debut Saltires experience wasn’t quite as memorable.

He had his stumps shattered by the day’s fourth ball, as Lancashire thumped Scotland by eight wickets in their Friends Provident Trophy North Division opener at Citylets Grange on Sunday.

But Cowan is still delighted with the opportunity to turn out for the Scots.

He said: “That’s partly the reason I’m here.

“It’s a great opportunity for me and hopefully I can help gain them some momentum ahead of the Cricket World Cup, and I hope I can score a few runs for them.

“Unfortunately at the moment they don’t seem to think I’m ready for that, but hopefully I can prove them wrong!”

Being at a club with Australians Paul Hoffmann and new overseas amateur Brett Webber will help Ed enormously in his quest, and he’s grateful to be able to hear a friendly voice.

He said: “Having Paul Hoffmann and Brett Webber here helps a lot; having Hoffy here, and knowing he’s just next door, was a big factor in my decision to join Uddingston.

“Having people you know you can trust is a big thing because we’re all over on the other side of the world.

“It’s a hard move, but they will both make it so much easier for me.

“We had a good partnership on Saturday, Brett and I, and he will score a lot of big runs.

“Brett is here to develop his game and get big scores, and there’s no better way than doing that during the off-season and learning the trade while playing.”