George's Sunday best more than enough for Western Zone call-up

LOOKING GOOD IN GREEN: English import George Fisher has made his mark in his first couple of months in Australia.

Originally published by the Central Western Daily.

English import George Fisher has capped a great start to his playing days in Australia with selection in the Western Zone squad to contest the NSW Country Champsionships.

The 22-year-old has continued the relationship between the Doncaster Town Cricket Club and Orange CYMS by spending the Australian summer in green and gold.

A hard-hitting opening bat, Fisher has already scored more than 400 runs across all competitions this season.

Those performances have landed him a spot in the Western squad which will contest the upcoming Country Championships at Newcastle and Tuggerah a the end of the month.

He follows in the footsteps of Doncaster teammate Curtis Free, who spent the 2014/15 campaign in Orange and helped Western win the Country Championships.

Fisher has shone brightest for the Orange representative team so far, with scores of 54, 32 and a stunning 154 not out from just 104 balls against Parkes.

He also made 54 from 57 balls during a Tremain-Copeland Cup Twenty20 win for Central West over Western Plains.

"To be selected, I was very happy," Fisher said.

"My performances on Sundays have been pretty good so far, which I'm obviously pleased with, and to be selected is good and it recognises that I've done quite well so far.

"Obviously, I'm out here to play cricket first and foremost, and then to see a different part of the world, but playing as much cricket as I can has been good."

Being a new face in Western area competitions has worked in Fisher's favour.

During representative cricket on Sundays, there are some teammates Fisher knows nothing about, let alone the opposition, and it's allowed him to focus on what matters.

That will be the case again at the Country Championships as Fisher is the only Orange-based player in the Western squad.

"I don't know any of the players around here, so I'm just playing my game," he said.

"Playing in England, in the same league that I've played in for four or five years now, I kind of know the bulk of the people, so you thinking a lot about your game.

"Here, I can just focus on myself and just bat and you don't know what's coming down, but you can just play."

Pitches a little flatter and more batter-friendly compared to what he plays on at home has also helped.

The surfaces have been the biggest difference Fisher has had to deal with so far, but the new conditions are all part of the experience.

Sri Lanka and Barbados are other countries Fisher has played in previously, but his time in Australia marks his first long-term times overseas.

"It's great just embracing different cultures," he said.

"It's the same game, but everyone plays it differently.

"Even in the competition here. It's the same game, but it's different and the wickets are different, the outfields are different, but it's just so good learning.

"You've got to adapt your game for different scenarios. It's been really good, especially for development, and then I can go back to England and try to get better in our league there and develop a more all-round game."

Fisher hoped to attend at least a couple of days of Ashes cricket this season, while travel and the chance to see more of Australia is planned for the Christmas and New Year period.