Match-winners Meades and Smit the vital cogs

THIS is the season that Central Sports Mavericks want to establish themselves as a big club. Formed in 2004 from mainly Taverners and St Pierre players, they finished bottom of the weekend league in their first couple of seasons.

The main complaint from James Falla, who was captain of the side for the 2005 and 2006 campaigns, was that the outfit was a 'hotch-potch' of players and not a club.

But things turned around last year as they finished third in the league and made it to the semi-finals of the Carey Olsen GCA Cup. And there seemed to be a real club atmosphere in the Mavs camp.

'I think last year we established that we are here and I think this year we will establish ourselves as a big club,' said this season's captain, Justin Meades.

A catalyst for success was the arrival of Meades.

The big-hitting Aussie returned to Guernsey after being away for a couple of seasons.

The 27-year-old scored 652 runs, including three hundreds, at an average of 65.2 to see him named GCA cricketer of the year.

He joined an explosive batting line-up with the likes of Carl Le Tissier, Vince Kenny and Justin Walker in the mix. None of them can be said to be Geoff Boycott-esque.

And Mavericks had an uncanny knack of chasing down massive totals last season. A number of times they reached opponent's scores of over 220 runs.

Their most impressive run chase was undoubtedly against Cobo when they reached the target of 289 on the last ball of the 45-over match. However, with their batting line-up, it was at times 'all or nothing' - this is a team that can only chase totals and not set them.

But Meades says that criticism will be banished with their signing of island star GH Smit from Optimists over the winter.

The South African is another destructive batsman, but he plays with a straight bat.

'I think that some of the guys weren't that confident in their own ability and felt they could only chase down, but I'm sure that we're now going to be more confident in our batting and we will be able to set totals,' said Meades.

'Having GH improves us because you build teams around good players. He's a match winner and he's very dominant.

'When he gets going, we've all seen what he can do but he's not just a big hitter, he has great shot selection as well.'

Another addition to Mavs' batting is Southampton football legend Matt Le Tissier who will join his brother, Carl, at the top of the order. By all accounts, 'Le God' is no slouch at cricket either.

In the bowling department, Jonny Orme and Lee Gallienne, from the Guernsey Press Strollers, will take the new ball to be supported by Meades, Andy Burkhardt and Martin Baxter with their medium pace.

With young spinners Ben Ferbrache and Ben McVey leaving after last season to join Cobo and Optimists respectively, they are now a bit short in this area.

Meades says, though, that that is not a problem as he will look to Smit and Walker to supply the slow stuff.

'Two of our young spinners have gone unfortunately and it will be a loss, but they will be replaced,' he said.

If you are going to be critical, bowling is the area where Mavs fall down as there is not much variation.

Their quicker bowlers are all right-handed and operate at a similar pace and they now have no recognised spinners, just part-timers.

But despite that, Meades is bullish about the season ahead.

'If we get slow wickets like we did last year, our slow bowling will strangle sides when chasing our massive totals,' he said, with his tongue in his cheek.

'We're going to win everything. We're going to win it all.'