Kookaburra Cup: Burleigh player-coach Jimmy Spargo reveals his battle with vertigo
Burleigh coach Jimmy Spargo says he is relishing his fulltime role after an ongoing battle with vertigo forced his playing career to a halt. FULL INTERVIEW.
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BURLEIGH coach Jimmy Spargo says he is relishing his fulltime role after an ongoing battle with vertigo forced his playing career to a halt.
Once one of the Kookaburra Cup’s most damaging players, the player-coach was forced to withdraw from the competition halfway through last summer due to a continuing battle with the debilitating disorder.
Instead of being lost to cricket, Spargo has continued as coach as he seeks treatment for the condition.
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“The best way to describe it is when you get into a bit of a spin after having a bit too much to drink,” Spargo said.
“It makes it pretty hard to concentrate on a little red ball. There are plenty of people out there who have it worse off than me.
“If the only thing to come out of it is I can’t play cricket, I think I’m doing pretty well.
“I’m loving the coaching side … and it’s been a great chance to focus solely on it.
“It did get difficult balancing both because you’re trying to impact as a player and play to the best of your ability and coach at the same time.”
Doctors believe Spargo’s vertigo was triggered by a case of glandular fever that he recovered from eight years ago.
Burleigh has failed to taste victory in its opening two Kookaburra Cup fixtures but Spargo is confident the first win is on the horizon.
The Bull Sharks will get another chance to kickstart their 2020-21 summer on Saturday against Helensvale Pacific Pines.
“Results haven’t gone our way so far but we have the potential to do well and I think we’re one win away from getting on a roll,” Spargo said.
“We’ve been in control of games and fallen away at the end so far.
“We’re a lot stronger side than last season and I think we’ll continue to grow and come together with more experience under the belt.
“At crucial times in games, we haven’t made the right decisions which comes down to inexperience.”
Spargo also lauded the additions of Burleigh recruits Jake Tate and Sam Yabsley.
Tate travels across the border from Pottsville each weekend to impact as an all-rounder while Yabsley has strengthened the Bull Sharks bowling attack since dropping down from the Gold Coast Dolphins.
“They’ve been two key puzzle pieces for us,” he said.
Other fixtures: Coomera Hope Island v Broadbeach Robina; Alberton Ormeau v Palm Beach Currumbin; Southport Labrador v Surfers Paradise; Mudgeeraba Nerang v Queens; Runaway Bay v Colts.
EARLIER
SURFERS Paradise and Helensvale Pacific Pines have written another chapter in their thrilling history after the Demons claimed a heart-stopping four-run win thanks largely to a heroic Nathan Reardon century.
Just 11 runs have separated the two clubs in their last two first grade meetings and Saturday’s encounter was no different with the Hawks needing 10 runs off the last over to secure victory.
Surfers looked in trouble early at Nerang Oval when they lost three wickets for 15 runs.
But Reardon, a former professional Australian cricketer, battled bravely through a neck injury to anchor the Demons innings and finish with 106 to steer his side to a total of 177.
“He missed last week with a neck injury but he’s had some injections and CT scans and the doctors have said he won’t do any more damage playing,” Surfers Paradise coach Scott Day said.
“It stops him playing some shots but he’s missed cricket and he reckons he’ll get better each week.”
Helensvale made inroads early with the bat before Cameron Francis’s catch at gully to dismiss Harry Lickiss swung momentum in Surfers favours - as did Sam Willis’s stunning long-range run-out of captain Jack Lickiss.
At the death, Surfers captain Claye Beams handed the ball to Blake Reynolds despite not bowling an over the entire afternoon.
With the Hawks needing 10 runs to win, Reynolds steeled himself and executed a handful of yorkers to leave Helensvale requiring six runs off the final ball which they couldn’t chase down.
“I don’t know what it is about it, but every time we play Helensvale, it always goes down to the last ball or the last few runs,” Day said.
“Their batting got them back into it late and we were lucky to get over the line in the end.
“I’m always backing our boys to do it and they always compete at 100 per cent so if they didn’t’ execute, it wasn’t going to be from a lack of effort.
“Both sides had periods of dominance and we were happy to be on the right side of it.
“There’s nothing better than winning and we fell over in the first game and Queens were too good for us so we didn’t want to be zero and two.”
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In other Round 2 results, Queens defeated Burleigh, Southport Labrador downed Broadbeach Robina, Mudgeeraba Nerang beat Alberton Ormeau, Coomera Hope Island enjoyed a victory over Colts JCC and Palm Beach Currumbin had the better of Runaway Bay.
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