Cricket North is about to get an influx of big sixes and West Indian flair thanks to Riverside's new recruit Kirk Thompson.
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The 25-year-old West Indies A talent arrived in the state on Thursday and made an instant impact at training.
Thompson will be unleashed in a home clash against Latrobe on Saturday weather-permitting, and has set a high bar for the season ahead.
"I'm looking forward to the challenge and bringing a little bit of West Indian flair to Australia," the Barbados native said.
"My personal goal is to win this year's flag and apart from that probably finish somewhere in the region of 800-900 runs and 30 wickets.
"I just really appreciate the guys having me over."
A left-hand middle-order batsman and an off-spinner to complement captain Tom Garwood and young gun Cooper Anthes, Thompson arrives via Futura Sports Agency as the Blues' first import since James Scott.
"I'm a batting all-rounder but pretty good with the ball as well - as Tom will tell you at practice," Thompson joked.
"What I want to work on mainly over here is rotation of strike - I know I can hit a big six so my aim will be to put pressure on myself as an overseas player to bat through the innings and therefore carry my game forward.
"After this I go back to Barbados, I have a Barbados A-team tour, a West Indies A tour and then I come back to England for a trial match at Lancashire, so those are my goals right now."
Thompson's inclusion will bring firepower and excitement to the only Cricket North outfit yet to win a flag this decade.
"Hopefully he brings bums on seats - this is what we got him here for," Garwood said.
"He's a big hitter - he's going to put the ball over the boundary a few times and he's going to take a few wickets so we're excited.
"He brings a lot of talent and he's tried to be funny a couple of times already so he's going to fit in quite well."
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