Hit with injuries, Belvoir has made steady progress in Provincial cricket after a slow start to the season.

And greater responsibility has fallen on father-son combination Mick and Tate Spiteri.

“Tate’s been steady,” Mick said.

“He hasn’t grabbed a game by the throat yet but he regularly takes a wicket when he needs to and he’s got reasonably good batsmen out.

“But it will come to him at some stage when he gets his rhythm and everything right, he’ll take three or four wickets.

“There’s probably a bit more expected of him now because Julian Butters and Brad Freake are out, hopefully he’ll step up to the plate and do his best.”

Having lost four of their first six games, Belvoir will be looking for more positive results heading towards the Christmas break.

“We started slowly but we hope we can win this weekend and then it’s a reasonable start to the year,” Mick Spiteri said.

“From then on anything can happen.

“Injuries don’t help with continuity, but fingers crossed we can put in a good effort this weekend.”

Having turned “28 for the 15th time” recently, Spiteri said he was proud to be able to play first grade cricket with his son, while another, Noah, 15, is also climbing the ranks.

“I enjoy playing cricket and haven’t got many years to go,” he said.

“Ideally you go to watch your kids play sport on a Saturday and I get the best of both worlds — I get to play and watch.

“Hopefully in the next year or so Noah will be able to get a game and I can pull the pin and retire gracefully.”

Having grown up in western Victoria, Spiteri joined Belvoir about 10 years ago after being encouraged to play by former The Border Mail editor Heath Harrison.

“I’ve played cricket ever since I was old enough to catch a ball,” he said.

“Everyone played cricket — all your mates played in the schoolyard or in the street.

“Harrison, who’s a Belvoir legend, convinced me to have a hit one day at the club and I’ve been there ever since — you can’t get me away.

“It’s just a great cricket club, we don’t think we’re playing for sheep stations or anything like that and it’s just a good bunch of community-minded cricketers.”

Spiteri and Tate aren’t the only father-son combination at the club, with Richard and Lachlan McMillan, David and Mitch Dinneen and Andrew and Jack Coleman playing at various levels.

“We’ve got six or eight dads still playing with kids who are at the club,” Spiteri said.

“Though it’s probably more of an indication that we’re silly enough not to retire and still go round playing than anything else.

“And it’s not just our club — you’ve got blokes like Tim and Avery Weilandt at Wodonga Raiders and Andrew and Ryan Lade at St Patrick’s.”