Northern Districts welcomes back Redbacks batsman Mark Cosgrove for Grade Cricket season

THE jury is out on Northern Districts’ chances of a first Grade Cricket finals appearance since 2010 after a ­winter of change at the Jets.

28/9/2014 pic today at the paddocks Ovals at Para Hills are the Northern Jets cricketers they will kick off their Grade Cricket season next month.Pic here is coach Peter Cameron (dark Blue top) with Jets Premier league A grade PlayerSteven Marks ,28 NB ++, in between overs for pic as they were fielding and all players were on the oval playing...... PHOTO DAVE CRONIN

THE jury is out on Northern Districts’ chances of a first Grade Cricket finals appearance since 2010 after a ­winter of change at the Jets.

Northern has been ­bolstered by the return of Redbacks batsman Mark Cosgrove as skipper and hopes to pick up two English imports before the two-day competition kicks off on ­October 18.

But the loss of former ­captain Isaiah Borgas to Tea Tree Gully and English ­batsman Joe Gatting, who ­recently became a father in the UK, has coach Peter Cameron cautious of his side’s prospects.

“It’s a totally new-look playing group – I’ve never seen so many changes in a one-year turnaround,” Cameron says.

“We’ve got some reasonable additions to the squad so I’m fairly confident we can cover some of these guys that have left.

“Cozzie (Cosgrove) is a fantastic club bloke and we’re very fortunate to have him back around the place.”

The Jets have also lost ­veteran paceman Chris Amundsen (27 wickets at 16.85 last season), who has returned to Turf club Pooraka.

The addition of Northern Territory opening batsman Grant Bell and the emergence of young guns Josh Southwell (fast bowler) and Cooper Thompson (medium pacer) have given Cameron reason for optimism.

The mentor, in his second year at the helm, is confident of adding a wicketkeeper and another player from the Darren Lehmann Academy.

“We’ve had a lot of juniors step up this year which is fantastic and it’s time to give some of these kids a crack,” he says.

Northern was in finals contention for the first half of last season, but a five-match winless run at the tail end of the campaign led it to slip to ninth.

The club’s limited-overs form was better, as it made the final of the Twenty20 competition before falling to Tea Tree Gully.

“(Finals) is a big call with a totally new group but certainly we’d like to be in the top half,” Cameron said.

Northern Districts opens its season with a one-day match for two-day points away to Kensington.