New recruits, points to prove and silverware on offer for SA Premier Cricket clubs in 2021/22
A slew of off-season moves have been made as each SA Premier Cricket club sets up for what will be a massive campaign. See your ultimate season preview here.
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Premier Cricket season is almost here and each team is raring to go in what should be an enthralling year of action.
Three rounds of Twenty20 matches will get the season underway this Saturday and Sunday before the first grade clashes for one and two-day points begin on October 16.
Some interesting player movements have been made throughout the league and many new faces have arrived from interstate, with each club now boasting top drawer players and solid line-ups.
Following on from our list of the top 20 cricketers to watch, here is The Messenger’s analysis on how each club sits heading into the season.
ADELAIDE
Captain: Ben Pengelley
Coach: Shaun Siegert
Last season: 9th
Major ins: Erik Carrington (West Torrens)
Major outs: Cam Valente (Tasmania)
Adelaide has returned to the past while attempting to build for long-term future as it looks to respond from a difficult campaign last season.
Former coach Shaun Siegert has returned to take charge following two years away and said the Buffalos’ focus was on culture and creating an environment for talent to thrive.
After back-to-back finals appearances Adelaide failed to make the top four last season in all three grades.
“It’s exciting, it’s a different group to what I had there a couple of years ago. It’s a lot younger,” Siegert said.
“When I took the job at Adelaide the first time it was a young group that needed to develop, so it’s similar in a lot of ways.
“Their best cricket is ahead of them. It’s about finding the right way to bring that out of them.
“I think if you create good environments there will be cricketers that come through.”
Siegert was at the helm when the Buffalos broke an 11-year finals drought in 2018/19 before falling to Kensington in the two-day grand final.
Adelaide’s single key off-season departure was a significant one with Bradman Medallist Cam Valente moving to Tasmania while young West Torrens batsman Erik Carrington has switched to Glandore Oval.
ADELAIDE UNIVERSITY
Captain: Will Bosisto
Coach: Ben Hilliard
Last season: Premier
Major ins: Sunam Gautam, Ashish Pokhrel (Southern District)
Major outs: Ben Wakim (NSW), Ben Ellis (NT), Campbell Vadlja (Woodville)
Reigning premier Adelaide University has “two very big holes to fill” but is well-placed to defend its two-day flag, according to coach Ben Hilliard.
Captain Ben Wakim and bowler Ben Ellis have returned to Sydney and Alice Springs respectively while Campbell Vadlja transferred to Woodville.
Southern District pair Sunam Gautam and Ashish Pokhrel have joined the club.
However Hilliard said the Blacks, who defeated Kensington in the grand final but lost the one day decider to the Browns, were eyeing silverware once again.
“They’re two very big holes to fill,” Hilliard said.
“Ben Wakim was our leaders and one of the best batters in the comp and Ben Ellis was just a great team man, very reliable, batter, bowler and fielder.
“Recruiting Sunam from Southern will help out, certainly with our batting depth to replace some of those runs.
“But we’re also trying to encourage our young blokes to continue to step up and we’re hoping for big seasons from some of them.
Hilliard said uncertainty around the Sheffield Shield season due to border restrictions could add a challenge with the Blacks’ Redbacks-contracted players, but was confident the club would have the depth to cover any scenario.
EAST TORRENS
Captain: Michael Cranmer
Coach: Andrew Duffield
Last season: 5th
Major ins: Joshua Reeves (Northern District)
Major outs: None
East Torrens captain Michael Cranmer says the Reds will use the pain of two finals exits to drive them in a bid for more finals action this season.
Top four finishes in both the Twenty20 and One Day Cup competitions were followed by defeat to Kensington in both semi-finals while they also faltered late in the two-day format to finish fifth.
Cranmer said a tight-knit and settled Reds outfit had a desire to right last season’s wrongs.
“We were pretty disappointed with how things eventuated last year, Kensi were too good for us on the day in the T20 and one day (semi-finals), which was frustrating,” Cranmer said.
“And then a frustrating three or four rounds in the two-day comp as well.
“We’re going to let that burn inside and drive us this season.
“We haven’t gone out to hard to get anyone, we’re pretty confident with the list that we’ve got at the moment.
“We certainly expect to play some finals again.”
Andrew Duffield replaces Steve Stubbings as coach at Campbelltown Memorial Oval.
Meanwhile young Northern District keeper Joshua Reeves should spend some time behind the stumps for the Reds.
GLENELG
Captain: Jake Winter
Coach: Sam McNally
Last season: Semi-finalist
Major ins: Brendan Doggett, Nathan McSweeney (Queensland), Oscar Oborn-Corby (NSW)
Major outs: Chadd Sayers (Woodville)
Glenelg is making a play to contend in all three formats following a strong off-season.
The Seahorses, who should field a strong line-up in this weekend’s opening T20 matches including Australia and SA star Alex Carey, have added Redbacks recruits Brendan Doggett and Nathan McSweeney along with NSW bowling all-rounder Oscar Oborn-Corby to their ranks.
However coach Sam McNally said improvement from the club’s young and existing players was key to it rectifying missed opportunities last campaign.
“It’s been a bit focus for us,” McNally said.
“How can we improve, what are the little things we can do to make us better as a team and individually?
“I think we’ve got the talent to contend for all three trophies and we’ll be disappointed if we don’t come away with something at the end of the season, that’s for sure.
“Doggett and McSweeney are great to have on-board.
“We don’t think we’ll necessarily see those guys a lot in black and gold but it’s been good to have them around and good for the profile of the club.”
The Seahorses did cop one off-season blow with Chadd Sayers going back to Woodville. Batsman Jake Winter has taken over as captain.
KENSINGTON
Captain: Elliot Opie
Coach: Russell Thompson
Last season: Runner-up
Major ins: None
Major outs: None
It’s been four years since Kensington went a Premier Cricket campaign without taking home one of the three trophies on offer and the dominant club is poised for yet another push for silverware.
Skipper Elliot Opie said the runner-up Browns had no significant arrivals or departures and were confident in their blend of youth and veteran campaigners.
“We’ve had a really good balance of getting good games into guys like Sam Rahaley, Christian Leddicoat and Tom McKenzie coming through so there hasn’t been too many changes to personal,” Opie said.
“With a bit more experience in our younger guys and our more experienced guys still around, we’ll still be setting our sights pretty high this year.”
The Browns were too strong for Uni in last season’s One Day Cup grand final but missed out on securing a double crown with defeat in the two-day decider.
NORTHERN DISTRICTS
Captain: Gareth Cox
Coach: Mark Cosgrove
Last season: 13th
Major ins: Corey McDean, Antum Naqvi (NSW), Harvey Box (Para Hills)
Major outs: Joshua Reeves (East Torrens)
Northern Districts playing coach Mark Cosgrove is confident of improvement throughout the club’s senior grades this summer following strong recruiting.
The Jets finished bottom of the ladder in all three grades following a difficult campaign last time out.
NSW Premier Cricket wicketkeeper Corey McDean, all-rounder Antum Naqvi and Para Hills’ Harvey Box lead the arrivals.
Cosgrove said the Jets felt like they were in a good spot coming into season 2021/22.
“I think there’s 19 new players through our senior squad this year so we’ve been proactive and probably the first time we’ve done this for a while,” Cosgrove said.
“Normally we pick up one or two and refresh our squad that way.
“But I think after last year there was a real need to get competition spots back at the club and make people earn their spots a bit more than they maybe have in the past couple of years.”
PORT ADELAIDE
Captain: Austin Umpherston
Coach: Matthew Weeks
Last season: 11th
Major ins: Yash Pednekar (Victoria), Awad Naqvi (NSW), Dylan Hunter (NSW), Will Forster (Glenelg)
Major outs: Jordan Thomas (Port District), Zac Warden (Tea Tree Gully)
Port Adelaide captain Austin Umpherston believes his side is ready to surprise in season 2021/22.
While the Magpies lost opening bowler Jordan Thomas, who will play local cricket for Port District, some new ins are set to provide a spark.
The recruitment of Glenelg’s Will Forster, left-handed batter Dylan Hunter, Yash Pednekar from Victoria and all-rounder Awad Naqvi provides much-needed reinforcements for a team which struggled last season.
Umpherston said the team was using last year’s disappointment as motivation.
“Last year was a bit disappointing, we just weren’t quite up to the level and I think we lacked some overall depth,” Umpherston said.
“We’ve now got a good mix of kids, up and comers and experienced guys and there’s a really great feeling in the group this year.
“There are some strong teams around but I think we’re going to be pretty strong too and can push for a top four spot.”
PROSPECT
Captain: Kyle Scrimegour
Coach: Steve Broberg
Last season: 12th
Major ins: Akon Mawien (Victoria), Jamie Diener (Sandy Creek)
Major outs: Izaac Boylen (Clare)
Prospect’s campaign will be all about development and building consistency, according to coach Steve Broberg.
The Pirates have lost captain Izaac Boylen, who relocated to Clare, with club champion and all-rounder Kyle Scrimegour set to fill his shoes.
Broberg was eager to see what his youthful group could do.
“We definitely feel we’re in a better position than last year,” Broberg said.
“The group is still at a young age and as they develop together we expect to see some more consistency.
“We want to win as much as we can but we also want to ensure we continue to develop and improve our guys.”
Prospect has recruited Sudanese fast bowler Aclan Maiwen and SA indoor star Jamie Diener to bolster their bat and attack.
Broberg also said he expected strong seasons from Peter and Max Hatzcoglou.
SOUTHERN DISTRICT
Captain: Josh Barrett
Coach: Carl Hooper
Last season: 10th
Major ins: Nick Maegraith (West Torrens), Tom Maegraith (West Torrens)
Major outs: Lewis Hatchett (UK), Sunam Gautam (Adelaide Uni) Ashish Pokhrel (Adelaide Uni)
Southern District captain Josh Barrett says the recruitment of the Maegraith brothers from West Torrens will be a big lift for his team this year.
The Stingrays were in need of a boost after losing Lewis Hatchett, who returned to England, along with Sunam Gautam and Ashish Pokhrel.
Nick, a deadly left-arm orthodox in the attack, and Tom, a strong and consistent batter, could not have arrived at a better time, as the team seeks a stronger output after last season’s 10th-place finish.
“I think we’ll do quite well. Our batting will be a similar strength to last year which is good, so if we can get some runs on the board we’ll be dangerous,” Barrett said.
“We’ve shaped up really well in the off-season and each guy is showing some promising signs.
“With the recruits we’ve got and each player gaining some more experience after last year I think we can get off to a good start.”
STURT
Captain: Brad Davis
Coach: Sam Fraser (head coach), Peter Muggleton (first grade coach)
Last season: 6th
Major ins: Matthew Spoors (WA)
Major outs: Zyggy Kulesza (stepping down to second grade)
Sturt last made the A grade grand final in 2018 but has struggled to make a dent in the competition since, something captain Brad Davis hopes to change this year.
Davis was excited to work alongside new A grade coach Peter Muggleton as Sam Fraser overseas the entire club program.
No other major outs and the addition of all-rounder Matt Spoors from WA had the Blues in high spirits.
“I really think we have what it takes to go far this year and I’m hoping we can play finals in two-day cricket and possibly win a premiership in one of the other formats,” Davis said.
“It’s great that we’ve been able to add Matt Spoors and keep the same group of guys together.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what guys like Corey Kelly and Harry Matthias can do this season and I think if the whole group can find some consistency we can be a threat.”
TEA TREE GULLY
Captain: Joe Gatting
Coach: Joe Gatting
Last season: 7th
Major ins: Zac Warden (Port Adelaide), Patrick Page (Tasmania)
Major outs: Matt Herrmann (WA)
Tea Tree Gully captain-coach Joe Gatting believes the Bulls have the potential for a finals berth in 2021/22.
Arrivals Zac Warden and Patrick Page will add to the batting strength of the side, while the return of Darren Ironside from the UK will also be a boost.
“It’s quite a young group and I think we’re going to be really strong eventually,” Gatting said.
“We’re looking to win every single time we go out there and I think we’re going to surprise some people.
“We’ve got a lot of players who have come through the system here and I think we can continue to develop and be a top four team this season.”
Gatting also believes Tim Oakley is ready for a big season with the ball.
WEST TORRENS
Captain: Daniel Drew
Coach: Mark Harrity
Last season: Semi-finalist
Major ins: Daniel Fallins (NSW), Jordan Buckingham (Victoria), Kelvin Smith (WA), Harry Nielsen (Woodville)
Major outs: Nick Maegraith (Southern District), Tom Maegraith (Southern District), Erik Carrington (Adelaide)
West Torrens looks poised to build off of last season’s semi-final appearance after a strong off-season of recruitment.
The Eagles have brought in leg spinner Daniel Fallins from NSW and paceman Jordan Buckingham from Victoria, while Kelvin Smith, back from WA, and Harry Nielsen from Woodville both return to the club this year.
This has helped to quell the damage of the Maegraith brothers and Erik Carrington leaving.
Captain Daniel Drew said the team was confident it could improve after losing to Adelaide Uni in the finals.
“I think there’s always room for improvement and the squad we’ve got together this year is really exciting – I feel the balance of the side is ideal and everyone knows their role,” Drew said.
“Jordan Buckingham will bring some great speed and bounce and having Kelvin Smith back at the top of the batting order is going to provide our line-up with a lot of experience and strength.
“We’re really excited for the season and I think if everyone plays their role and contributes we can continue to win and reach that ultimate prize at the end of the season.”
WOODVILLE
Captain: Chadd Sayers
Coach: Peter Sleep
Last season: 8th
Major ins: Chadd Sayers (Glenelg), Campbell Vadlja (Adelaide University)
Major outs: Harry Nielsen (West Torrens)
Woodville is in great shape heading into this season after strong preparation and recruitment according to coach Peter Sleep.
The club has been buoyed by Chadd Sayers’ return from Glenelg as captain and batter Campbell Vadlja’s arrival from Adelaide Uni, softening the blow of Harry Nielsen’s departure.
Sleep said he was excited to see what the batting order could put together throughout the year.
“Our batting has been a little brittle but I think with the additions of Sayers and Vadlja we’re set there now,” Sleep said.
“We’ve also picked up Nathan McAndrew, who we wont see much due to other commitments, but that option is also there.
“Our objective is to play finals this season and I’m really happy with how we’ve been shaping up and performing during the off-season. It’s just about executing on the pitch now.”
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