Russells Creek's Matt Bignell is hoping his back injury is a thing of the past after he completed his return to Creekers' top-grade side in style.
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The off-spinning all-rounder ripped through Wesley-CBC's batting order, claiming his first Warrnambool and District Cricket Association five-wicket haul in the process and helping the Creekers secure their second win of the summer.
Bignell finished Creek's bowling innings with figures of 6-14 from 5.5 overs as Creek restricted the Beavers to 117. In reply the Creekers comfortably chased down the total with six wickets to spare.
One of his big scalps was dangerous middle-order batsman Sam McCosh, who scored his first half century of the 2019-20 summer.
Bignell, who works as a postman during the week, returned to the club last year after spending six seasons at South West Cricket side Pomborneit.
The 29-year-old said he had come back a better player following a serious back injury that kept him out of most of last year.
"I have come back better and stronger," he told The Standard after his side's win on Saturday.
"I had it (the back injury) five or six years ago and it has just played up and I didn't do anything really to help it so I worked hard to get it better."
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Bignell, who missed the Creekers' charge to back-to-back division one premierships, said the haul would propel him into a hopefully successful return season.
"I'm real confident now but I felt I didn't bowl all that great with a few full tosses," he said.
"But definitely feels like I'm getting really confident."
The passionate cricketer, who is eager to get into the two-day format later in the season, said sticking to his plans helped create chances.
"I was just trying to bowl outside off and let them get themselves out, which ended up working, and that was pretty much it," he said.
"It was just a bit of attack, attack, attack."
McCosh was the top scorer across both sides with 54. His closest teammate was captain Bevan Stokie, who contributed 24 to the Beavers' tally.
Creek openers Connor MacLeod and Rukshan Weerasinghe scored 28 and 29 respectively while all-rounder Tim Ryan steered the side home with an unbeaten 24.
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Sean Hardeman
I'm a sports journalist for the Warrnambool Standard who covers a number of different sports across the south-west of Victoria. I enjoy watching cycling, surfing, football, soccer and Formula 1.
I'm a sports journalist for the Warrnambool Standard who covers a number of different sports across the south-west of Victoria. I enjoy watching cycling, surfing, football, soccer and Formula 1.
