Nightcliff recruit Jacob Thorne stars with the bat in his first taste of Darwin cricket

Nightcliff’s batting recruit Jacob Thorne finds the Darwin turf wickets to his liking in a big scoring debut season

Nightcliff captain Jacob Thorne has been a sensation with the bat in his first Darwin and Districts cricket season, scoring 539 runs. Picture: Grey Morris

WHAT began as a cricketing diversion due to the COVID-19 pandemic has turned into a Top End season to remember for Nightcliff’s batting all-rounder Jacob Thorne.

Thorne’s unbeaten 117 in the Tigers’ 41-run win over PINT yesterday was full of class and patience.

It took his season’s tally to 539 runs, a total that includes two 90s and a pair of 60s.

The 32-year-old from Ballarat in central Victoria had planned to go to Europe for a holiday after completing the Melbourne Sub Districts season with Caulfield.

Thorne’s batting and off-spin bowling have taken him to England in the Australian winter and through the Geelong and Melbourne sub district competitions.

“I played in Geelong for 10 years, in Melbourne for the last five and England for five years and here I am in Darwin,’’ Thorne told the Sunday Territorian.

“The reason I’m in Darwin is pretty much because of COVID, I was meant to be in Europe for six weeks and that went belly-up.

“But I still wanted to get away on a bit of a holiday and my work was happy for me to come up here and work remotely.

“So I worked it out with Batho (former captain Brad Baptist) and decided to come up for three months.’’

Thorne, a three-time Sub Districts cricketer of the year winner with Caulfield, has enjoyed the Darwin wickets where the runs have flowed from the piece of willow in his hand as the Tigers recovered from a slow start to the season to push for a finals berth.

“It’s been pretty solid, I’ve managed to contribute most weeks which is the key if you’re No.3 or 4 in the batting order where you are supposed to set the side up.’’

Thorne’s Tigers missed the finals when the two sides above them — third-placed Palmerston and fourth-placed Darwin — both won.