After a year in the wilderness with the sport only existing in junior ranks, Crookwell will field two teams in the Goulburn run second and third grade senior competetions that begin this weekend.

For Crookwell cricket stalwarts Stuart Parsons and Geoff Nicolson, it was a choice between seeing cricket in the town fade into a memory, or muster what they can to keep it alive.

They approached the Goulburn Association for a lifeline, to which they were welcomed with open arms.

“It’s a whole new adventure for us,” Parsons told the Post.

“The seniors have never been a part of the Goulburn comp, although many guys have gone there to keep playing. For the others this is a bit of an unknown. It’s going to be good to play guys who aren’t the same players every week.”

Parsons and Nicolson have a long history with the sport in Crookwell.

In their time they’ve seen the Crookwell competition thrive, then slowly reduce in the number of teams to an unsustainable competition.

“I think our biggest problem was employment in the area,” Parsons explained.

“Opportunities are becoming few and few on the land, and many people in that 20s age bracket have left for university or work.

“The team has a distinct older veterans contingent and a young high school aged cricketers half.”

For Nicolson - the writing was on the wall if they didn’t take a chance at mustering a team.

“We’re trying to keep cricket alive,” he said.

“If it’s not played for a summer or two it means we’ll lose our turf wicket, and that would mean the end of cricket as a main in Crookwell until who knows when. “This gives us another year and a step at life. I know it’ll be a battle every year, but as long as there are young fellas keen I think we’ll be right.”

President of the Goulburn Cricket Association, Tim Price, said the inclusion of Crookwell teams was only a good thing.

“It’s exciting for us to have them,” he told the Post.

“We’ve done what we can to make it easier for them also. I think there is only two weekends this season where there won’t be a game played in Crookwell.”

For local Ben Haynes, the thought of helping cricket in his hometown was the deciding factor for him to play.

He explains it was a choice of playing for Crookwell, or accepting an offer to play first grade cricket for Hibo-Tully.

“I was pretty excited because it was the same day I heard about this that I was asked to play first grade in Goulburn,” he said.

“I was tossing it up, but then I thought, nah I’d really like to see cricket in Crookwell stay alive.”

The two sides will be called the Crookwell Golf Club Colts after the golf club jumped on as major sponsors.

As for how competitive they’ll be. It’s up in the air. But they’re confident.

“We’re confident that we’ll be pretty competitive in the second grade and the third grade. We’re ready to give it our best shot,” Nicolson said.

All senior cricket kicks off this weekend.