VSDCA 2018-19: Former Queensland paceman Matthew Gale signs with Bayswater

BAYSWATER has landed one of the recruits of the Sub-District Cricket pre-season just days out from Round 1.

Matthew Gale celebrates a wicket with his Queensland teammates in 2012.

BAYSWATER has landed one of the recruits of the Sub-District Cricket pre-season just days out from Round 1.

The Waters have confirmed former Queensland paceman Matthew Gale will lead their attack in 2018-19.

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The 34-year-old signed over the weekend and is in the process of moving back to Victoria, but he will miss Round 1.

We are stoked to announce Matthew Gale will be joining our club this season.
Matt played Shield cricket with Queensland & Big Bash with the Heat & Renegades.
He has also been coaching with the QLD under 17 team.
He is from Melbourne, having played premier cricket with Ringwood

— BayswaterCC (@Bayswater_CC) September 24, 2018

He is set to play his first game for Bayswater against Ivanhoe the following round.

Gale said he was unsure if he would play in 2018-19 after taking last season off, but decided to link up with Ringwood premiership teammates Ben Osborne and Sean Flynn.

“I wasn’t even thinking about playing cricket but Ossie and Flynny have both been big parts of my cricket career,” Gale said.

“They said, ‘what do you reckon?’ but I wasn’t sure if Ossie was going to keep going.

“When he said he was going to keep playing I thought I would go around with him again.”

Gale played in Ringwood’s back-to-back Premier Cricket flags in 2007-08 and 2008-09 before moving to Queensland.

Matthew Gale sends one down during a Sheffield Shield game.

He took 22 wickets across seven first-class games for the Bulls and made seven List A appearances for the state from 2011 to 2013.

Gale also represented Melbourne Renegades and Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League.

Flynn, who will again coach Bayswater this season, said Gale’s signature was a boon for the club on the eve of the season.

“Early September we first got an inkling of it and from there, if he was going to come back, he’d probably only want to play with Ossie and myself,” Flynn said.

“There is a bit of a Ringwood connection there and that was a key part in him wanting to play at Bayswater.”

Bayswater is scheduled to open is season against Balwyn in a two-day game on October 6.