Cricket - Aussie signs for Netherfield

11:20am Saturday 23rd February 2008

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NETHERFIELD Cricket Club have signed Australian Callum Ferguson as their new professional. Aged 23, Ferguson is a right-hand early-order batsman from South Australia with 33 first-class matches behind him and a batting average of 34.25.

He hails from Prospect, the same Grade cricket club as Jeff Vaughan, the club's professional in the all-conquering 2000 team that won the Northern League, Lancashire Cup and Nuffield Hospital Cup.

After an excellent debut season in 2004-05, when he topped South Australia's run tally, Ferguson fell to fourth on the list the next summer, and was sixth in 2006-07.

His last campaign was disappointing as he was dropped from the Pura Cup team and finished with 342 runs at 26.3.

He contributed 204 one-day runs at 29.14 from seven outings but by the end of the campaign was back in both sides and hoping for a more settled 2007-08.

Ferguson was in the South Australia side for the Pura Cup match against Tasmania, which started on Thursday, having replaced former Test opener Matthew Elliott.

A lightly-built, stylish batsman, Ferguson has had two stints at the Centre of Excellence and is highly-rated within the Redbacks camp.

He showed incredible maturity when he made his first-class debut three seasons ago and posted 733 Pura Cup runs as the rest of the team's stroke players struggled.

He followed up the next summer with 506 runs, including four half-centuries.

A talented junior, Ferguson was first picked for the Academy in 2002 and was then chosen for the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh in 2004, but a knee injury on the eve of the tourn-ament kept him from playing.

He does not bowl at State level but is a regular bowler as well as captain of Prospect, having taken over from Vaughan this year following his retirement. He bowls right-arm fast medium.

He has been over here once before in the North-East for a six-week stint as a sub pro and says he is looking forward to joining the Parkside Road club. He is playing alongside Dan Christian for South Australia and has heard good reports about Netherfield from both Jeff and Dan.

Christian acted as a very successful sub pro last year, taking wickets and scoring runs, and has been recruited by South Australia this season following the sudden retirement of Darren Lehmann.

n Netherfield open their 3D Sports Northern League programme at home to Barrow followed by trips to Darwen and Chorley. Cumberland host Bedfordshire at Parkside Road on Sunday, May 4.

Netherfield asked for a one-day game this season as they are to co-host the English Schools Bunbury Festival with Sedbergh School over four days in July.

This year Netherfield play in the Cumbria County Cup and will visit Appleby Eden in early May , while a bye takes them into the Cockspur Cup's second round, where they play host to a St Annes minus Ian Austin, who has moved on to pastures new in the Ribblesdale League.

The League Cup will see them at home to Morecambe with a potential home tie with Kendal in the second round.

With the growth of the junior section, which reached 136 under-18s last year, at the recent Westmorland Junior League annual meeting, Netherfield entered an additional U11 side and will now field two teams at U16, three at U13 and three at U11.

Help with coaching, scoring and managing at youth level is always welcome (all inquiries to N