Cricketer with no limb below left elbow lines up for ICC Sharks

RICK Foster’s motives for taking up leg spin bowling were typical of many. But the rise of the Morphett Vale cricketer, who has no limb below his left elbow, has been anything but.

RICK Foster’s motives for taking up leg spin bowling were typical of many in Australia over the past two decades.

“I wanted to be like Warney (Shane Warne),’’ he says.

But Foster’s remarkable ascension through the ranks at the Morphett Vale-based ICC Sharks over the past 18 months has been anything but typical.

The 33-year-old schoolteacher was born with a congenital deformity of his left arm and has no limb below the elbow.

He took up leg spin bowling in his early 30s because he wanted to “perfect an art form”, but was initially unable to break into the Sharks’ section four (C-grade) team in the Adelaide and Suburban Cricket Association last summer.

He got his chance when injuries opened up positions and by the end of the campaign he had won the club’s bowling trophy after taking 21 wickets at an average of 13 against able-bodied batsmen.

Foster ranked second in the competition wicket takers, had best figures of 6/45 and will this season line up the Sharks’ section two (B-grade) team.

“I’ve never really had a problem with the arm holding me back from anything,’’ he says.

“I’m yet to come across anything that I’m not able to do and for me it has never been any issue physically.

“Leg spin bowling is something I wanted to have a go at.”

Foster uses his left arm for balance when bowling by getting high in the air like any other leg spinner, before coming through with his right bowling arm.

His efforts have caught the eye of former Test leg spinner and ex-SA star Peter McIntyre.

McIntyre trained with Foster at the Sharks’ Wirreanda High base last week and was blown away by how well he bowled.

“I’ve got to say I was seriously impressed,’’ McIntyre says.

“He really flights the ball nicely and I think he’s got some potential to play a higher level.”

Foster – who is also able to bat and field – will spend this season at the Sharks but is not ruling out moving to a turf wicket competition in the future.

“The club here has been really good,’’ he says.

“Initially a few might have had reservation about how I was going to bat, or where I would field, but once they saw I knew what I was doing they’ve been great.”