Armstrong Creek gun opener Clay Mulgrew is heading to South Barwon
There’s been plenty of movement across the BPCA, with its best player of the past two years heading to the GCA. Get all the latest ins and outs.
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Wallington’s quest to go one better in A2 this summer has been bolstered by the return of a popular Englishman.
Billy Gravett will be back for the Wallabies in season 2025-26 after hitting 281 runs at 25.55 and taking 27 wickets at 17.33 – fourth on the aggregate – helping take his club to a grand final berth.
Gravett (133 not out) combined with fellow countryman James Sood (158) for a monster partnership of 255 runs against Newcomb in the final round of the regular season.
Meanwhile, a BPCA club is planning for the possible return of two of its best players following stints away from the game.
Three young Demons to have a hit this summer
Ties will be strengthened between Portarlington’s cricket and footy programs with the Demons unveiling a raft of young footballers who will pull on the whites this coming A2 season.
Portarlington footballer Jack Baldi, who won the 2022-23 Ian Cover Medal for the most promising player at Geelong CC, will return to the BPCA this summer.
Meanwhile, senior footy teammates Jesse Hunter and Joel De Bono have also committed for the cricket season under new coach and all-rounder Nathaniel Symes, who joins from Malvern Valley.
It’s been a busy BPCA off-season, with three players from Armstrong Creek’s title-winning team on the move.
The top tier’s best player of the past two years, Clay Mulgrew, is heading to South Barwon in the GCA while his premiershipteammates Jason Robertson and Aaron Morgan are shifting to Newcomb & District.
Get the latest ins, outs and coaching appointments.
A1
Armstrong Creek
OUT: Clay Mulgrew (South Barwon), Jason Robertson (Newcomb & District), Aaron Morgan (Newcomb & District)
Barwon Heads
Tom Chalmers (Flowery Field Cricket Club)
Anglesea
IN: Kade Eskrigge (Modewarre)
OUT: Bryan Thomas (Grovedale), Ollie Huby, Will Huby.
New senior coach: Ty Norman
Drysdale
IN: Tallan Burns (Bridestow and Belstone Cricket Club), Mitch Stephens (Geelong West), Owen Dunn.
OUT: Shane Cutajar (St Leonards)
Barrabool
IN: Aaron Pickering (returning)
Queenscliff
OUT: Alex Baker (Manifold Heights
A2
Ocean Grove
IN: Corey Bampfield (Highton)
Portarlington
IN: Jesse Hunter (St Joseph’s), Joel De Bono (St Joseph’s), Lawrence Wilson (Ticknall), senior coach Nathaniel Symes (Malvern Valley), Jack Baldi (Geelong CC).
Surf Coast
New senior coaches: Richard Dawes, Will Liddle, Vik Rathore (batting coach)
Winchelsea
IN: Ricci Sauni (St Peter’s), Jarrod Groves (Alvie), Shane Currie (City United), Tharindu Bandara (Pakenham Upper Toomuc CC), Toby Furbush (returning), Lakshay Sharotri (St Albans Breakwater)
St Leonards
IN: Seb Harrison (Leeds and Broomfield), Nick Hallam (Drysdale), Shane Cutajar (Drysdale)
New senior coach: Shane Cutajar (Drysdale), Oscar Cutajar (Drysdale)
Newcomb
IN: Thisum Hapugodage (Grovedale), Dean Tevelein (Pomborneit), Jeewantha Ranasinghe, Randika Madushanka (Wallington), James Claney (Armstrong Creek), Dylan Irwin (Manifold Heights), Thisum Subasinghe (Grovedale).
OUT: Stuart Keys (Little River)
Wallington
Shaun Biemans (South Barwon), Billy Gravett (returning)
The BPCA’s best player heads to South Barwon
Two Armstrong Creek premiership players are on the move, just a few months after winning the A1 title against Barwon Heads.
Titans gun opener batter Clay Mulgrew is heading to South Barwon in GCA1, the club confirmed with this masthead on Friday.
Swans players were informed earlier this month.
Mulgrew will join Torquay all-rounder Gurpreet Singh at the Swans.
Meanwhile, Mulgrew’s premiership teammate Jason Robertson has decided to go home to Newcomb & District for the 2025-26 season.
Colac product Mulgrew has been the leading batter in the BPCA’s top tier for the past two seasons, smashing 869 runs at 66.85 in 2024-25.
It came after hitting 787 runs at 87.44 the previous summer.
Robertson, who came through the junior system at Newcomb & District, will return to the Dinos in the GCA’s fourth division under new coach, the esteemed Craig Hillgrove.
Robertson took 11 wickets at 29.27 from 15 games, but was fighting for the ball from the likes of Jack and Daniel Maclean and Lachlan and Clay Mulgrew.
It comes as Newcomb all-rounder Eugene Stanciu has joined Corio in division three.
Shane Cutajar returns to St Leonards after 20-year break
Two-time BPCA first grade premiership winner Shane Cutajar will return to St Leonards as captain-coach next summer.
In a social media post, the club said the former captain-coach had returned after a 20-year absence.
Cutajar, who made his senior debut in 1991, played 134 games for the Saints and was part of the club’s maiden first grade flag in 2003-04.
He also won St Leonards’ club champion award and the Ray Menzies Medal for the best A Grader in 1996-97 – a year he took his best figures of 5-15 – before making his highest score the following summer with 116 against Portarlington.
However, Cutajar would later join Drysdale and win an A Grade flag there in 14-15.
Winch sign three new faces for 2025-26
Winchelsea Cricket Club has landed a big fish ahead of the 2025-26 season with the signing of reigning Bill Johnston medallist, Jarrod Groves.
Groves won the medal for the best player in the Colac and District Cricket Competition while playing for Alvie last season.
Groves took 71 wickets and made 1465 runs over the past two seasons, with a highest score of 136, and clinched the division batting average and aggregate in 24-25.
He was also named the division one team of the year captain.
Meanwhile, Winchelsea has signed up CDCC opponent Shane Currie, who joins the Blues from City United.
Currie took 60 wickets over the past two seasons opening the bowling.
And Ricci Sauni has returned to Winch after playing the last two summers at St Peter’s in the GCA, taking 29 wickets in total.
Roos begin quest for new coach
Anglesea Cricket Club has begun the search for a new coach following the departure of a popular mentor.
The Roos, who lost the A1 semi-final to Barwon Heads is looking for a replacement for the esteemed Bryan Thomas after he departed the club the day after that loss in March.
The successful candidate will be adept in match strategy and be able to build connections through the club, the Roos say.
It comes after former president Brett Venables stepped down from the job mid-season.
“We are looking forward to some exciting announcements over the coming months,” the club said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Grubbers, who finished on the bottom of the A1 table with just three victories, have had a major win with its first grade best and fairest winner and English import Zac Jones set to return for 2025-26.
Jones led the batting for Ocean Grove this summer with 345 runs at 26.54, posting scores of 99 and 78 by early November.
“Zac has been an outstanding recruit this year for the club, winning our A grade best and fairest and helping out with our younger players,” the club said in a social media post.
In A2, the Surfcoast Suns have appointed Surrey product Vik Rathore as senior batting coach for the coming season.
The club is also awaiting the result of funding applications for four-lane cricket nets with $40,000 already secured through Cricket Victoria.
And this masthead understands a star BPCA player could be tempted to play in the GCA next season.
Originally published as Armstrong Creek gun opener Clay Mulgrew is heading to South Barwon
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