CRICKET TWINS: David, left, and Thomas Zohrab have both been in stand-out form for Nelson College in the Car Company Nelson Cricket senior club competition. Photo: Evan Barnes/Shuttersport.

Brothers leading College cricket attack

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Nelson College is off to a flying start in this year’s Nelson club cricket competition, picking up four wins from its first five games, and at the heart of the college effort are twins David and Thomas Zohrab.

The twins are both all-rounders, David typically opens the batting and bowls off spin while Thomas bats number 4 and is opening the bowling with his medium-fast pace.

Both have represented Central Districts at age-group level and the Nelson Griffins representative team this season.

Having just turned 17, Nelson College coach Garry MacDonald is excited about what the future hold for the pair.

“They’re quite easy to coach because they’re incredibly competitive. A lot of people are, but they’re also very ambitious. ”

“So whatever level they’re playing at there’s another step higher for them and when they get there it’s the next one.”

Garry, a former Canterbury coach, says the pair “definitely” have the potential to play first class cricket in the future.

And the brothers say that is the goal. “We want to take it as far as we can,” says Thomas. “First class cricket is the goal and from there you’re probably closer to the Black Caps than you think,” he says.

After enduring a tough first two games with the bat, where he notched just 4 and then a duck, David has banged two half centuries this month.

Over that time he’s also been a hit with the ball in his hand, taking nine wickets before the latest game, including a five-for against Wakatu.

For Thomas, he’s been more consistent, scoring 20-odd in three of his team’s five matches.
With the ball he’s taken more than wickets over the same time.

They say their love of cricket started while pupils at Nelson Central School and it’s only grown.

“We got stuck straight into it,” says Thomas. “We had a really good garage set-up so we’d play there and it was pretty competitive. A bit of tape on the ball and we’d steam in there – there was no love lost.”

David says they both feel as if they’re coming into form after a winter of tough training.

“It’s just starting to come together now, we put a lot of work in.”

Both are also excellent golfers, but Garry says the twins have very different personalities.

“They’re leaders, both of them, but different leaders. Thomas is fixed bayonets ‘follow me lads’ whereas David is more strategic and he’ll look at a situation and think ‘how do we go about this’.”