WEST Bendigo’s Travis O’Connell’s primary focus these days is to impart his knowledge on the Redbacks’ younger players.
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Saturday’s lesson was one in valuing your wicket and making the most of a second chance if you’re fortunate to get one.
The opening batsman was dropped at point early in his innings against United and went on to make the Tigers pay dearly, batting for the rest of the day in making an unbeaten 208 in the EVCA.
The 39-year-old is the first West Bendigo player to make a first XI double century, with his 208 passing the Redbacks’ previous club record score of 196 that had been held by Greg Reeves.
“My main role at the club now is as a junior development coach, so wherever most of the kids are playing is where I’m playing,” O’Connell said.
“At the moment we’ve got four in the division one line-up, so I’m in there with them.”
O’Connell’s innings was the backbone of the Redbacks’ massive 7-392 at Ken Wust Oval.
“I had a bit of luck on Saturday and it was nice to be on the right end of a score like that given United has tended to belt us around a bit over the years and made some big scores,” O’Connell said.
O’Connell had gone into the game in good nick with two of his previous three first XI innings scores of 77 and 69.
And he had also started the season with 168 in the second XI.
Of his tally of 208, O’Connell only needed to run 46 after he scored 162 in fours (30) and sixes (seven).
He brought up his 200 in the final over with his 29th boundary, while he earlier set the tone for the day with four of his first six scoring shots all racing for four.
“I pulled up well… most of the runs coming in boundaries obviously helps there, and a lot of the runs the others guys made as well came from boundaries too,” O’Connell said.
“It was just a case of picking the right ball and having a go at it and things were able to go our way.”
Meanwhile, O’Connell’s wasn’t the only EVCA double century made on Saturday, with Maiden Gully’s Dean Trew scoring an unbeaten 205 against Axe Creek in the second XI.
