Both hail from the same club, both scored ducks on debut and both went on to shine at their second stints at the crease.

Frend failed to trouble the scorers in his first outing on Australian soil, against Bethanga in round 1, before rebounding to lead the Raiders to victory with a vital 59 against Barnawartha-Chiltern last round.

Benstead, who played at Raiders in 2002-03, also started with a duck before smashing 82 against SS & A in his next game.

Frend, 19, said he contacted Benstead to discuss playing on the Border as he made the late decision to come to Australia after deferring a counselling degree.

“It was a pretty late decision but I am starting a degree in September and I thought if I didn’t do it now, I’d probably never do it,” he said this week.

“I talked to James and a few friends and my family who told me to just go for it.”

Frend hails from the Dunstall Cricket Club in the Derbyshire League, a competition just below county second XI standard.

Former West Indies captain Jimmy Adams captained the club after his retirement from international cricket.

Frend, who has played a mix of senior and second-grade cricket at Dunstall, said a major factor in his decision to come to Australia was a desire to improve his game.

“I came here because I wanted to improve my cricket and become a permanent fixture in the first XI (at Dunstall),” he said.

“You play with and against some really good players in the Derbyshire League.

“I’ve only played a couple of games here, so it’s tough to talk about the standard, but it is a different type of cricket — I’ve never played any two-day games before. The longest form of cricket we play back home is 50 overs, so it’s a big change.

“I had a fractured thumb when I came over so it’s taken me a while to get going but I am really enjoying it.”