Warnocks’ sibling rivalry to add extra layer of spice to BRBB opener
Norths Cricket Club stalwarts Mitchell and Angus Warnock will finally face off for the first time since swinging the willow in the backyard as kids.
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Norths Cricket Club stalwarts Mitchell and Angus Warnock will finally face off for the first time since swinging the willow in the backyard as kids.
The big-hitting brothers will come up against each other when the Hurricanes take on the Badgers in the opening match of the Barrier Reef Big Bash at Griffiths Park on Friday night.
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Likely to open the batting for their respective sides, the two will come out swinging as they renew the sibling rivalry that made them the players they are today in the new Twenty20 tournament.
“It’s going to be a special occasion,” Mitchell said.
“We haven’t played cricket against each other since the backyard, so it’s going to be a bit different, throwing a bit of chat at my brother rather than me and him digging into everyone else.
“We’ve been tossing up between mum and dad who’s going to back who, with the blue or the orange, so we’ll see what happens.”
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Remembering the intense backyard Test matches of their childhood, Mitchell said Angus was the stronger bat back in the day, but Friday night’s clash would be a chance to get one back over his younger brother.
“Me and my mates used to just come in and bowl as quick as we could and just try and bump him out,” Mitchell said.
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“He definitely learned how to play his pull shot in the backyard against us older boys.”
But the all-rounder said he would resist the urge to put his hand up for the ball when his brother came to the crease
“We’ll see how we go, I don’t think I’ll need to bowl as we’ve got a lot of good bowlers in our team,” he said.
“My role is mainly going to be scoring runs and hitting some big bombs.”
While Mitchell was eager to instigate a war of words in the lead up, Angus said he preferred to let his bat do the talking on Friday night.
“We’ve played together a lot over the years but it definitely started out as a bit of a battle at home, bumping each other and trying to get the better of one another,” he said.
“It doesn’t come around very often so it’s good to have a bit of a stab at each other.
“I don’t look into it too much but Mitch is definitely into the niggle, so he’s definitely been throwing a bit of chat around.
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“I’m a little bit quieter than him so I try and let my game do the talking.”
Angus said there was a good chance his brother would “throw the bat” on Friday night.
The match will be the first to be played under lights at Griffiths Park.
“We had a sneaky training session Wednesday night under the lights, it’s going to be a really good spectacle,” Mitchell said.
“There was a little bit of dew around so it’s going to be a bit different to us playing in the daylight, where the ball probably comes on a little bit quicker.
“It should be quite good for the crowds, a few balls getting hit into the stadium.”
Originally published as Warnocks’ sibling rivalry to add extra layer of spice to BRBB opener
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