Gold Coast Dolphins batsman Jack Hargreaves finally overcoming first grade self-doubt

CONQUERING his mental demons has given a rejuvenated Jack Hargreaves the belief he belongs in Queensland Premier Cricket as the Gold Coast Dolphins target a breakthrough Twenty20 title.

CONQUERING his mental demons has given a rejuvenated Jack Hargreaves the belief he belongs in Queensland Premier Cricket as the Gold Coast Dolphins target a breakthrough Twenty20 title.

In and out of the Dolphins’ first grade outfit since making his debut in 2014-15, Hargreaves repaid the club’s faith last weekend with a knock of 83 in a high-scoring draw with Souths.

The 25-year-old, now in his ninth season at the club, has batted in every top-six position but believes he may have found a home - at least in the long form - as an opener.

THE DOLPHINS ON REP RADAR

While that is likely to change this weekend when the Dolphins play their first round of T20s against Sunshine Coast, University of Queensland (Saturday) and Wynnum Manly (Sunday), Hargreaves is finally backing himself to deliver the goods.

“I’m a big self-doubter, I’ve struggled with that (over the years),” said Hargreaves, whose second-grade scores of 60, 1 and 100 this season have twice earned him a recall to the top side.

Gold Coast Dolphins batsman Jack Hargreaves.

“I’ve been in and out of first grade every year. I play a few games up there without ever really starring and then I go back to twos and I do well there to then go back up but not cement a spot.

“(But) especially this year, getting dropped and then making those scores in the twos, it’s sort of reaffirming that I do belong back up in first grade. It would’ve been nice maybe to sneak another two-dayer in and then I would’ve been pretty comfortable there.

FRIENDSHIP ON HOLD FOR TEST SERIES

“If I got a few away in these Twenty20s that would really sit me well going into Christmas.”

The Dolphins will be boosted by the return of big-hitting opener Max Bryant for this weekend’s games, which begin in Brisbane on Saturday before returning to the Coast for Sunday’s one-off fixture.

Hargreaves en route to 83 against Souths last weekend.

The prize at the end of this season’s T20 competition is a ticket to the inaugural, 10-team national tournament in Adelaide on March 5-6.

“That was talked about at the start of the year. It would be pretty cool,” Hargreaves said.

“We’re scoring a lot of runs at the moment, which we haven’t done in previous seasons. We’ve just got a really good backing with Max (Houlahan, captain), he’s backed us to play our shots and I think in Twenty20s we’re just going to have that freedom and continue it on even more so.

COACH CALL RINGS TRUE

“I think we could be a bit of a dark horse. Because we are a bit of a younger side, they probably don’t look at us as much as teams likes Valleys and Wests but if people have their day (we could beat anyone).”

Coming off back-to-back T20 wins in the Katherine Raymont Shield, the Dolphins’ women return to one-day action against Wests at Cheltenham Oval on Sunday.