Angus Kilby to join Chester Boughton Hall at end of season

Ever since the St Pats wicketkeeper ventured to the United Kingdom on a schoolboys tour five years ago, he's had a dream of returning to play the gentleman's game at its birth country.

And now he's secured that chance.

Kilby has locked in a move to Chester Boughton Hall Cricket Club playing in the ECB Cheshire County Premier League, and will make the trip at the conclusion of the current Cricket Albury Wodonga season.

As for how the move eventuated, that came from an unlikely source.

"I've been trying to get over to the UK since 2017, I was over there with the NSW Schoolboys side and we did a bit of a tour," Kilby said.

"Ever since then I've been keen to get back, but I got stuck into uni and then COVID put a stop to that.

"Now I've finished uni, I had a bit of a chat to (Corowa coach) Jack Thomas as I played with him when he was New City's import, and then chatted to Mitch O'Brien, Luke Evans and a few of those boys.

"They put me in contact with a few of their old clubs.

"It was actually Ross Dixon from Albury, he said his old club at Chester was looking for a keeper-bat.

"He put me onto his brother there and they were pretty keen to make things happen - one phone call led to an email with a contract and now I'm heading over there in April."

Kilby has become accustomed to the playing A-grade at CAW Provincial First Grade level for the better part of a decade, debuting for New City in the 2014/15 season before making the move to St Pats three years later.

He knows the expectations will jump further still at Chester, but noted the opportunity to fulfil his dream was simply too good to pass on.

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"I'm fairly certain the standard's a bit higher than what it is here, from what I've heard," he said.

"I think they usually go down the path of getting an ex-international but they've steered away from that this year and getting a couple of amateur overseas players in.

"They've been looking for a keeper for a while now, they want someone who specialises in that.

"When I was speaking to dad about it, he said I'd probably have to go over there and play as a bat because clubs have their wicketkeeper spots filled already.

"To get a phone call and say 'we want you to keep and bat in that middle to lower order', it was too good an offer not to take.

"I'm just keen to get over there and play some good quality cricket."

The 23-year-old has thrived behind the pegs so far in Paddies colours this season.

He's been one of the busiest keepers in the competition, collecting eight catches and one stumping across three games of 50-over cricket.

And while COVID and more recently flooding have been the factor behind the shortage of games over the past few years, Kilby cannot wait to be fully indulged in the game he loves.

He stated there is an opportunity to work behind the bar in Chester as well as running cricket programs in the school holidays.

But the main appeal?

Cricket, and plenty of it.

"The cricket over there is just a different experience" he said.

"Talking to the boys at Chester, you could play anywhere between 35 and 45 games (a season).

"Playing heaps of cricket is something I want to do, to steer away from just training Tuesday and Thursday and playing on a Saturday.

"The off field experience over there as well, I think that stands out to anyone who's 23 and just finished uni."

But before Kilby jets across the globe, he has a task at hand.

St Pats are three wins from three in addition to picking up a win over Wodonga Raiders in Tuesday night's T20 action, and look to be a competition fancy early on.

Kilby credits the club as key in bringing back the enjoyment factor to his own game, and wants to pay the side in green back all he can in his swansong season.

"Back then (in 2018) I wasn't enjoying my cricket as much I as I used to, so the move to St Pats was about enjoying my cricket again," he said.

"St Pats is a bit of a family club, it's fairly social off the field which helps us on the field.

"On that side of things, I've got a lot to thank to the Paddies boys for; they got me enjoying my cricket again.

"(Chester) spoke about getting me over there a little bit earlier but I'm committed (to St Pats) and hopefully the boys can have a good run and we can go deep into finals.

"Once things are done here with St Pats I'll jump on the plane and focus on what I need to to get ready and crack in at Chester."

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