The first team to put the great Donald Bradman through the paces in his first senior cricket match at Lackey Oval in 1920, the Moss Vale Cricket Club will be looking to shape their own future stars of the game for the 2020-21 cricket season and beyond.

After a fire and COVID ravished 2019-20 cricket season for all clubs involved, Moss Vale will look to field teams in all senior and junior grades for the 2020-21 season.

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President of the Moss Vale Cricket Club, Peter Canestrari said it has been a difficult time, but the team is pushing through.

"We are definitely struggling," Mr Canestrari said.

"The off-season hasn't impacted yet, and there are still concerns about the start of next season, but we will keep pushing until it's business as usual."

Moss Vale Cricket Club is in a re-build situation, but the club has one main ambition for next season.

"Our expectations for next season will be to build the club back up again," Mr Canestrari said.

"We want people playing cricket again. There are a lot of cricketers out there not playing anywhere.

"A lot of young blokes have decided not to play sport in general. We want to appeal to them, grow the club back up through all grades and build those players up ourselves. We're going the grassroot way."

In a sporting era of super-teams, win now, bandwagon fans and learning to lose being a lost art form, building this sleeping giant of Southern Highlands cricket back to glory could give young players more than just on field lessons.

"We're the oldest club in local cricket," Mr Canestrari said.

"We were established in 1874. We're 146 years old.

"We have a long history of being successful. Right now we're in a bit of a rebuilding phase, but we will build the club back up again.

"Right now is a great opportunity to play for a major town in the Southern Highlands, a team rich in history and that wants to win again."

Any players that are up for the challenge, training sessions will be held very shortly and players must acknowledge interest with the club.

"Players can contact us through our Facebook page," Mr Canestrari said.

"We're quite quick in responding to messages. They can also contact me personally.

"We will be holding two registration days before the season starts. The dates are not confirmed as of yet, but one will be in late August and another in mid September.

"We will be starting unofficial training sessions in mid July.

"Training sessions will be held on Sundays so if anyone is interested in participating, they are more than welcome to come down. That includes both juniors and seniors."

For anyone interested in joining the heritage Highlands cricket club at Moss Vale, please contact president Peter Canestrari on: 0405 592 668 or they can message the team at their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/mossvalecc.

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