Port Adelaide, Campbell Vadlja, Tahlia Keylock among biggest surprises of SACA Premier Cricket season 2022-23

From fast or slow season starts to big names reigniting their careers, we’re counting down the biggest surprises from SACA Premier Cricket pitches so far this season. See the list.

The SACA Premier Cricket season is two months in, with the men in the thick of one and two-day competitions and women approaching Twenty20 finals.

While many teams and players have continued strong form after last season, there have been some surprises so far.

From big tonnes and underperforming outfits to big names on a resurgence, The Messenger has got the early season’s biggest surprises – in no particular order.

Valente, Port Adelaide’s early surge

Former Adelaide skipper Cam Valente (left) has had one of his best Premier Cricket season starts since joining Port Adelaide. Picture: Keryn Stevens

Many would have pencilled Port Adelaide in as one of the potential stories of the 2022-2023 season after a successful offseason of recruitment, but not many would have expected it to come this quickly.

New recruit Cam Valente has been a welcomed boost to the club’s order – scoring three centuries on his way to a total of 551 runs – while Isaac Conway has also been a terror at the crease with 509 runs so far season.

The attack has been just as effective, with Valente (14 wickets), Seamus Keogh (nine wickets) and Michael McDonald (nine wickets) putting up fantastic numbers as fast bowler Nick Benton finds his feet in the new season.

The side currently sits third on the first grade men’s ladder, just below Glenelg and West Torrens.

Tea Tree Gully and Kensington’s slow starts

Two of the top three first grade sides last season, Kensington and Tea Tree Gully currently sit sixth and seventh on the ladder.

A consistently strong outfit in Premier Cricket for a number of years, Kensington has lacked expected production with the bat from a number of players including rising star Josh Doyle and opener Will Montgomery – who has scored just 43 runs so far this season.

A draw against Adelaide would have been disappointing for the Browns but a return to form for star bowler Elliot Opie, a win over Northern Districts and a solid start against Glenelg last weekend may be what the team needs to change its fortunes.

Elliot Opie and Kensington will be hoping to turn things around after the Browns’ early inconsistency. Picture: Mark Brake

Tea Tree Gully has also started the year slowly after making last season’s grand final, losing to Port Adelaide and drawing with both Adelaide and Adelaide Uni.

Opener Darren Ironside has experienced a slow start with the bat, his highest total so far sitting at 37, while the unavailability of star fast bowler Tim Oakley has also been felt.

The Bulls’ one win came against Sturt in round three and they currently face a battle to overcome a potential loss to Woodville this coming weekend after making 212 and having their opponents at 1-59 after last weekend.

Glenelg’s depth keeps Seahorses undefeated

Glenelg experienced a solid 2021-2022 campaign but looks to have improved drastically and could be set for silverware in 2022-2023.

The Seahorses – who have beaten East Torrens, Adelaide Uni and Woodville, and drawn with Port Adelaide – have had a number of unexpected contributors throughout the season, highlighting the side’s depth.

Early in the season it was Josh Croom who had taken a step up to dominate with both the bat and ball, the all-rounder tallying 70 runs in two innings as a low order batter and also taking eight wickets in his early appearances.

Emerging Glenelg all-rounder Josh Croom has been a key part of his club’s depth as the Seahorses remain undefeated to start 2022-23. Picture: Brenton Edwards

The performances of both Danny Irvine and Damen Kerr in Glenelg’s middle and bottom order have also been outstanding – the two combining for 301 runs so far this season and nullifying any negative impact slow starts from openers Isaac Higgins and Zac McCabe may have.

The side’s bowling depth has also been on show this season with Nathan McSweeney, Jack Pudney, Liam Thompson and Liam Scott all averaging multiple wickets a game.

Campbell Vadlja’s fast return to form

Campbell Vadlja has reignited his Premier Cricket career in a big way so far this season. Picture: Mike Burton

Woodville gun Campbell Vadlja experienced an inconsistent season in 2021-2022 but began his 2022-2023 campaign on a tear.

In one of the best back-to-back showings in recent years, the number three batter made totals of 141 and 176 not out in draws against Port Adelaide and Northern Districts in his first two appearances to total 317 not out.

Vadlja was then dismissed by Glenelg’s Liam Thompson for 15 runs and sits on 14 not out against Tea Tree Gully as his side aims to top a 212 total.

If he can continue is strong form, Woodville will fast rise from its number 12 spot on the ladder.

Tahlia the ‘key’ to Jets’ success

She took 17 wickets for Northern Districts last season but Tahlia Keylock already has 10 this year with only the women’s Twenty20 competition played so far.

The Jets weapon leads all bowlers so far and has taken a wicket in almost every appearance, including a 2/22 display against Sturt, a 2/26 performance against Kensington and a recent 3/12 showing against West Torrens.

Her club currently sits fourth on the Twenty20 ladder and should cause problems come finals if the bowling production remains at the current level.

Adelaide’s finals push

Kelly Armstrong (second from right) has been a key factor in Adelaide’s surprising T20 finals push this season. Picture: Dean Martin

Adelaide has put together a strong season in the women’s first grade Twenty20 competition after competing in the second grade last year and is set to narrowly miss out on finals.

Simren Henry has been a consistent contributor with the bat for the Buffalos, scoring standout totals of 41 against Glenelg and 43 against West Torrens, while captain Kelly Armstrong has also been a standout, scoring a season-best 41 two games ago against Northern Districts.

The bowling attack has also been solid, led by Isobel Sidhu (five wickets) and Simren Henry (six wickets).

Adelaide faces Sturt this weekend sitting just below Northern Districts and looks set to just miss out on finals after falling to the Jets by two runs in devastating fashion over the weekend – a bitter end to a surprisingly positive T20 campaign.