ELLIOT Ruff is hoping joining Horspath will provide him with a fresh start following a lengthy spell out of the game with a serious back injury.
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| Elliot Ruff has signed from Horton House |
Having moved to Oxford to work as a groundsman at Summer Fields School two years ago, he is showing no ill effects from the injury now and is keen to start playing again, with the opportunity to join Horspath presenting itself through a mutual friend of Robbie Eason.
Elliot said: "I sort of knew a friend of a friend who has contact with everyone at the club. I didn't play any cricket last summer and obviously moving here I wanted to play and he put me in touch. I have missed two-and-a-half seasons with a back injury, but before that I was playing with Horton House in the Northants Premier. I have been there since I was a kid, but with living here it makes sense to play here.
"I think a fresh start is what I was after, having not played for the last few years. I wanted to leave the politics behind of my previous club and focus on what I wanted to be doing. I have heard Horspath have a big sort of social side to the club and are well run. They sound like my old club.
"Having been at the same club all the time I have seen how it should be done and that was the key thing. It looks like it is done well at Horspath. I have popped past the ground and that looks great with both grounds there, so that is another tick."
Batting at various positions in the order, Elliot hit four centuries in the Northamptonshire League Premier with a highest score of 115 not out against Finedon Dolben in 2012. "I got four hundreds," he said. "They were all at different times. The first one was when I was 18 batting seven. I had one at three, one at four and one at six. Hopefully I can be more consistent. I think that has always been my downfall, with a hundred and then no major score.
"I was playing for the first team at 15 and I've always been exposed to first team cricket from a young age. It was only in the last couple of years where I was able to average 30 consistently. That is what I would be aiming for now and better. I opened in Twenty20 and was successful for a number of years. In terms of 50 overs and beyond I am hoping I can find a role and stick to it wherever it maybe.
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| Elliot Ruff batting at Northants' County Ground |
"The back injury has held me back for the last couple of years, but hopefully I am over that. I only started running again in December without pain. Hopefully it can all come together and I am trying to do everything right. It is just that it's a totally different movement when it comes to cricket. I managed to avoid having an operation. I did it doing some digging. I herniated the disc in my lower back and did it in that season when I was going to be captain and played when I shouldn't have done."
Elliot believes the experience of playing in Northants will stand him in good stead for the challenges he faces with Horspath. "It is quite a strong league really," he added. "The club I played for were always mid to lower half of the table because a lot of the teams had overseas professionals and there were quite a lot of county players from Northants playing. The Home Counties and Cherwell League sound just as competitive and that is hopefully what I am looking forward to."
Elliot also bowls off-spin with best figures in the Northants Premier of 4-21 against Old Northamptonians, but admits he's not one who jumps at the chance to get the ball in his hand. "I have always been a reluctant bowler," he said. "I have done a fair bit of bowling off-spin over the years, but I have never asked to bowl, but was made to bowl."
Although he has hit four league tons it was in the shorter form of the game which Elliot picks out as a career highlight, while also giving a special mention to his experience Down Under which he feels broadened his outlook on the game. He said: "Probably the one over here was a Twenty20 final at the Northants County Ground when we managed to break the ground record with 250 and I think I got 50 off 19 balls. That is probably my career highlight.
"Playing in Australia was good as not many people get to do that. They probably just have a bit more professional approach to everything when it comes to training and match preparation in how they go about things."
Horspath director of cricket Will Eason is delighted to have Elliot on board. He said: "I'm really pleased to welcome Elliot to the club. We were fortunate to get in contact with him through a mutual friend of Robbie Eason's, who said he knew Elliot was looking for a club in the area.
"Though he is still overcoming a nasty injury he received a couple of years ago, there is no doubt he is going to bring real quality to the squad. Though still young, he's played a vast amount of quality cricket, as well as having leadership qualities from his previous club."
Posted by: Russ