LIAM Geary felt unusually calm while padding up on Saturday.
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The former Terang skipper, who relinquished the captaincy to Sam Munro in the off-season, made the most of his relaxed mindset to notch his highest-ever total.
Geary composed a devastating innings, blasting 141 runs to help Terang to a 97-run victory over an undermanned Heytesbury Rebels.
The opening batsman told The Standard he'd spent a chunk of pre-season in the nets after handing the captaincy reins to Munro.
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Geary hoped to lift his output without the pressures of formally leading his teammates.
"It's pretty stressful being captain - even at training you're always worried about your teammates and wanting to help," Geary said.
"Sometimes I'd forget to bat and I'd have five minutes at the end of the session.
"On game day you're thinking about everything too and it's been a bit of a weight off my shoulders.
"I'm still able to help out the juniors and younger players.
"Munners (Sam Munro) has been great - you know he's going to do a good job. Guys like Tyson Hay and Tim Keane have also been a great support."
Geary's innings was supported by Liam Balcombe - who crafted 51 - and 56-run contributor Jake Flynn.
Geary said Heytesbury, who fielded just nine players due to harvesting commitments, performed admirably in their pursuit of the Goats' 298-run target.
He said Terang also faced an uphill battle for numbers but praised a "really committed" core. "They're enjoying coming to training," he said.
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Nick Ansell
Nick Ansell is a sports journalist at the Warrnambool Standard.
Nick Ansell is a sports journalist at the Warrnambool Standard.
