Veteran Aussie to replace rising-star Ronchi at Bash

Veteran West Australian A grade all-rounder Brad Thompson has been signed by Bashley (Rydal) Cricket Club as its overseas player for 2003.

Thirty-five-year-old Thompson, Perth's captain for three seasons before joining Willetton in 2002/03 as player and assistant coach, is a top-order batsman and off-spin bowler who has played more than 200 A grade games.

An occupational safety and health manager for Maddington-based Genalysis Laboratory Services Pty Ltd, he has trained with state development squads since his junior days and been selected by the Western Warriors on two Second XI tours.

Bashley (Rydal) secretary Richard King explained: "Unlike our overseas players in previous years, Brad is doing the come to England and play cricket bit after being well settled in a career. His company is giving him leave of absence to come and play here this summer."

King added: "As he also holds a level one accreditation, while he is over here playing we are hoping that we can get a summer school organised and have him as the principal coach, plus get him involved in coaching at local primary schools to give children their first taste of playing cricket."

Thompson is to arrive at Bashley Road next month as the replacement for fellow West Australian, Luke Ronchi, the 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman who has spent three of the past four Australian winters playing cricket in England, since first linking with the New Forest's premier club as a teenager.

The 2002 Southern Premier League Batsman of the Year, big-hitting Ronchi is not expected to return to play for Bashley again, having launched his first-class career with an innings of 90 against Tasmania in December.

To date, the Australian Cricket Academy graduate has scored 275 runs in total for Western Australia in the tough Pura Cup interstate competition, with three half centuries from seven innings and an average of almost 40.

The question that awaits to be answered, of course, is whether Thompson will prove as huge an asset for Bash as his former Perth clubmate has.

Although Thompson left Perth as the fourth highest runscorer in that club's history, it is understood that he is more of an accumulator of runs, rather than a free-scoring batsman in the same mould as Ronchi.

"I'm a very different player to Luke - though I do believe Luke is quite unique," conceded Thompson. "I would describe myself as a traditional type of player - consistent, with a good, solid technique.

"I probably won't come out blasting like Luke did, however I do believe my experience will be an asset."