Russell Brooks will enter new ground for Lucas this weekend, the first player at the club to reach 300 games.
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Interestingly, Brooks did not start playing cricket until 25. He is now 52, and still thoroughly enjoying it.
Brooks played soccer and did a bit of running during his early years. But after taking up indoor cricket with some mates, he found himself taking up the outdoor game.
Strangely enough, this weekend’s milestone will be brought up against Lucas, the two one-day A grade teams meeting in the season-opener. Brooks said some of the highlights of his career were definitely the premierships, particularly the 2005-06 flag. The triumph being somewhat of a drought-breaker for Lucas. He then took on the role as seconds captain, taking the team to two grand finals, winning one of them. A return to the firsts then capped a great run of success – another premiership.
Becoming a life member of the club is also very special to him.
Brooks thinks of himself as a bowler, but said at one stage he was nearly hitting all-rounder status. In fact, he was the first player to score a half-century on turf for the club. Although in the early years, he jokes about his batting woes.
“There was one year early on where I was on a number of ducks, when I got off that I got applauded by not just my own team, but the opposition,” Brooks said.
Brooks boasts 496 wickets at an average of 21.7.