By David Nagel
If you believe in the saying ‘you can never teach an old dog new tricks’ you don’t fully understand the season of Kooweerup captain and champion player Chris ‘Wombat’ Bright.
This was a season like no other for Bright, who you would think had seen it all in a glittering career as a batsman-wicketkeeper, securing an incredible seven WGCA Premier Division titles along the way.
But this year, well it was different in more ways than one.
Bright’s top-order comrades, Mark Cooper and Tyler Clark, departed the scene, taking with them a collective 1015 runs from the Demons’ 2019/20 campaign. Throw in the role of captaincy, and the high-energy and quick-thinking engagement of one-day cricket, and he was suddenly outside of his comfort zone.
“It was certainly different and a new challenge this year,” Bright said after the match.
“Being a first-year captain and playing one-day cricket it threw some new challenges into the mix like what bowlers to bowl, how many overs they’ve got left, there was a lot to take in.
“I must admit I had a headache after the first few rounds but I figured it out in the end and had some great support around me. When I took on the captaincy I didn’t actually see myself as the leader, with Tubsy (Chris O’Hara), Jess Mathers, Matt Bright, John Bright, they’ve all been there and done it before.”
But the extra burden of captaincy initially had an impact, with the early-season form of the hard-hitting opener not living up to his high level of expectation.
“Early on I think I put too much pressure on myself to be the leader, but the boys told me to go back to how I play the game and the runs started to return,” he said.
“It was great to have that belief and support from within the group.”
The explosive top-order batsman was the key wicket for both sides on Saturday. If he batted for more than 10 overs the Demons would be well on their way to an eighth premiership in 12 years, while his wicket was the scalp the Bulls’ craved most…defending a modest total of 111 for victory.
Bright would depart for six, edging a wide ball from Dean Henwood to Ricky Campbell at slip.
“I said last time we played here that it’s the worst ground to bat on, because it’s so slow, and they reminded me of that today,” the skipper said.
“Everyone knows I like to hit the ball as hard as I can but it doesn’t always matter on this ground. When you hit the ball well and the ball stops just outside the circle it can be frustrating, but both teams have to play on it so it’s equal for everyone.”
Bright was full of praise for his premiership-winning opponents, who endured the loss of club stalwarts Ian Campbell and Wayne Snooks in recent times.
“They really deserve it, they’ve had to deal with some huge losses and I think everyone at their club would be really proud of the way they handled themselves today,” Bright said.
“I gave Ricky (Campbell) the biggest hug after the game and told him his dad would be proud.
“We felt like we were close but to lose 8/30 in the end, you can’t afford that in any game of cricket…let alone a grand final.”
And, despite the loss, he was full of praise for his own team.
“I just told them in the rooms that I was super proud of them,” he said.
“Everyone wrote us off at the start of the year, with Coops and Tyler gone, but we’ve got that belief and always try our hardest and have a crack.
“I can guarantee we will be here again next year, with two-day cricket, a lot of guys in our side prefer bowling with the red ball. It’s not all about recruitment for us because we back in our players and develop the young kids and get them up and about.
“We’ve had a lot of success in recent years and it all comes down to how strong we are as a club.
“Don’t worry…we’ll be back.”
It would be a brave person to suggest otherwise.
