Todd Henderson is at home at a cricket ground. The Wagga RSL Bulldogs are like family, and there's no better way to spend a Saturday than gunning for victory together.
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But for all that, it's cricket's ability to expose the individual that has him hooked.
"I feel like if I'm out in the middle it's me versus the rest of them, their team," Henderson says.
"In a game of soccer or footy, you can have a good game but I feel in cricket, if you have a really good game, you can really help your team out a bit more.
"There's nothing better than being out there in the middle scoring runs. That's what it boils down to. It's a team sport but it's all about you in the middle. It's all eyes on you."
The only feeling greater than a win and a laugh with your teammates is standing at the crease, alone, tapping your bat on the ground as the bowler steams in. And eyeing the boundary over cover.
"Cover drive is probably my favourite. Aerial. Aerial cover drive," he laughs.
"I tend to like to hit in the air a bit too often... I don't like to hit it leg side."
Henderson made his first grade debut for the Bulldogs 15 years ago and has been a regular for at least a decade.
Stats and achievements aren't his focus. Don't ask him for the detail on premierships or seasons. But they do bear repeating.
Now 32, he stamped his arrival on grand final day in the autumn of 2009. After starting the season in second grade, he finished it with a century in his first first grade decider - his first and only ton.
Overcoming a groin strain and batting with a runner, Henderson scored 100 steering his side from 5/109 towards 7/272 and out of reach of Kooringal Colts.
Two seasons later, he again top-scored for RSL in a grand final with 66 as they chased down a mammoth 278 to beat South Wagga.
And the following year, captained the Bulldogs to another premiership, having taken over from Ethan Bartlett, (who set up the win with an unbeaten 119 to bury South Wagga).
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Bartlett is among the best of Bulldogs teammates, but he's not alone.
"To this day, I've never seen anyone hit the ball as clean as he does. But Luke Oakley for mine is probably the best I've played with... it just looked all natural. When he'd bat, he'd hit it so clean and looked like he could do what he wanted. And the way he used to beat the bat when he was bowling, ball after ball. He was too good," he says.
And in the early days (Henderson debuted in 2004-05) Kurt Robertson had a big impact on his game.
"He was really good. I felt like I batted a little bit like him, fairly aggressive, but he was really good to have a chat with, or help out if I ever needed anything."
Some teammates, like Tim Cameron, he's played with for 20 years, through juniors and graduating into seniors at the club where Henderson's dad had been a wicketkeeper and opening batsman in third grade.
"He played rugby league more so, and it was his second sport. For me, it's the other way. I played soccer but cricket was always number one," Henderson says.
In his dreams, he'd have loved to be a quick. But he wound up keeping wicket to the attack.
"I'd love to be a fast bowler, like everyone... I played juniors with Tim Cameron. He was as quick then as he is now and while we shared it around (wicketkeeping), in the end I was the only who could stop it. I wasn't catching many but at least I could stop it."
This year, Henderson's the Bulldogs number one wicketkeeper and has taken 11 catches, including four last Saturday. With a stumping as well, it was five dismissals in the innings. Not bad given it's hardly his first love.
"It's something that if I think about, I'm not overly fussed on. I don't like it during the week," he says.
"But when the time comes to put the gloves on, I switch on and I enjoy it. At least I feel like I'm in the game a bit more, because I'm not going to bowl."
Henderson says teammates will remind him of the ones he dropped.
Maybe that's why he wishes he could bowl pace. Not to terrorise an opposition. But to send down plenty of short ones to his own bowlers in the nets.
In reality, while the thrill is in the contest out in the middle, it's the teammates who keep him keeping on, season after season.
"It starts with the blokes. Someone like Jimmy Richards has been at the club since I started and still playing first grade, John Hoey is in and out... people like the Perrys," he says.
As an emerging junior, Henderson played with Shaun. And since then, with the next generation, Tom, Ethan and current RSL captain Sam.
"I feel like it's a big family club. And I've got a young fella who plays," Henderson says, of 10-year-old leg-spinning son, Cooper.
"He trains with us on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He enjoys it more than I do. He feels a real part of the club and the boys seem to love having him there. It just feels like home I suppose."
But back to being out in the middle. Henderson's enjoyed one half-century this season (64 v Colts), and twice last year, with a 76 and a 79, both against Wagga City.
"Over the last few years I've realised how I should be playing instead of trying to score a run a ball type innings. So I've definitely slowed down by scoring and tried to spend a bit more time out in the middle.
If I had have worked that out a few years ago, it might have been a bit better," he chuckles.
He says there's no better feeling than riding high on confidence, feeling as though you could hit any ball for four.
And the love of that means sometimes you just have to admire your opponents from behind the stumps. Cats' Jon Nicoll of course, but particularly Colts' Dave Bolton.
"As a 'keeper, I don't like to see any of the other teams score runs but I do like to watch Dave, he just makes it look so easy," Henderson says.
"It looks like he can flick the switch if needs to score runs quick or if he needs to hang around he can do that for his side as well.
"So he's got a couple of gears. But just the shots he plays, like straight down the ground... I'd love to be able to play those sort of shots."
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