GCA2 top young cricketers in 2022/23 season revealed
From the best young batters to star bowlers and guns in gloves, the GCA’s top young talent has been revealed.
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From the best young batters to star bowlers and guns in gloves, the GCA2’s top young talent has been revealed.
The talent does not just stop at GCA1 and GCA2, with the BPCA and lower GCA grades set to be covered in the coming weeks.
Check out last week’s instalment of the GCA1’s top young cricketers revealed here.
Read about some of the region’s best young players here.
Leopold
Lochie Philp
Philp played 11 games in Leopold’s firsts last season, finishing with a season-high of 30 against Geelong West batting at number five.
After crossing from Queenscliff ahead of the 2020-21 season, Leopold captain Corey Ogle says the club has seen “a massive improvement” in the 20-year-old.
James Tilders
Tilders enjoyed a taste of first-grade action last season as an under-17 player, but dominated in the seconds for a lot of the season, winning Leopold’s seconds’ best-and-fairest and batting average.
The 18-year-old made 260 runs in second-grade at an average of 32.50, while also picking up six wickets at 17.67.
“We’ve got high hopes for him as well this upcoming season,” Ogle said.
Harry Burchett
Burchett featured in Leopold’s seconds 12 times last season, the now 18-year-old picking up 13 wickets at 26.69 (best figures of 3-27) while also making 106 runs at 26.50.
“He’s been a solid performer over the last couple of years now in our twos, so we’re expecting him to grow and to fill out his build and to come in leaps and bounds,” Ogle said.
Josh Lindsay
While featuring in Leopold’s under-15 side last season, Lindsay also made his name known in the seconds, picking up 12 wickets in 12 games at an average of 29.58.
At just 15, Lindsay is a star of the future for Leopold.
“He’s bowling very fast at the moment,” Ogle said.
Marshall
Will Skene
Skene shared his time between Marshall’s seconds and firsts last season, however coach James Menzies believes the 18-year-old is due for a “breakout year” this season.
Menzies said the tall left arm bowler can swing the ball in and away, which helped him claim eight wickets at 20.00 in six seconds games last season.
Jack Burns
Menzies expects Burns to follow on from last season and bat at number three again for Marshall this campaign.
The rising star only averaged 19.80 runs in 10 first-grade matches last season, however scores of 37, 31 and 49 show he is capable at the level.
St Peter’s
Joshua Sorgiovanni
St Peter’s captain Luke Ford said Sorgiovanni is “only going to get better” following some injuries over the past couple of seasons.
The 20-year-old enjoyed a dominant finals series last season, claiming 4-20 in a semi-final win over Geelong City and 1-19 from six overs in a grand final victory over Leopold.
“He’s done his knee once I think and broke his collarbone last year or something, last year he dominated for us in the back-end of the year, so I think he’s only going to get better this year,” Ford said.
Matthew Sorgiovanni
Following last season where Sorgiovanni batted between six and eight, Ford said the 18-year-old is set to jump to the top of the order this season with Brodie Craig heading to Geelong.
The wicket keeper claimed eight catches last season and a run out to go with 117 runs at 16.71.
Josh Jackson
Ford said Jackson has “some serious talent”, a key reason he convinced the 20-year-old to continue playing at St Peter’s instead of GCA1 side Grovedale.
“I brought him across from Grovedale … I think at St Peters we got him to find the love for the game again,” Ford said.
“He’s got some serious talent and I thought it would’ve been wasted if he was just going to not play.”
Geelong West
Sam Turner
Turner joins Geelong West from East Belmont and “really impressed” during the club’s intra-club practice match last weekend according to coach Justin McPhee.
“(Turner is) a raw medium pace bowler who has a real purpose about him when he bowls (and) bowls a nagging length,” McPhee said of the 17-year-old.
“(He) really impressed in our intra-club match last weekend and (we) look forward to seeing what he can do.”
Ollie Roggoff
Roggoff joins Geelong West this season as its import batter.
McPhee said the 21-year-old has played a higher standard of cricket in the United Kingdom and he is “excited to see what he has to offer”.
“(He is a) hard hitting, top-order batsman who times the ball really well also,” McPhee said.
Geelong City
Fletcher Grimsey-Cook
Grimsey-Cook is just 16 years old, but the left-arm leg-spinner has already impressed in the senior grades.
He made his first eleven debut last season, taking three wickets in his two matches, but spent most of the year in the seconds and under-15s team.
Grimsey-Cook took 16 wickets in the seconds and seven in the U15s and led the senior grade for the season’s wicket takers.
Cody Brogden
Brogden is 21 years old but has been one of the bright young stars at Geelong City at the top of the order.
The opening batter scorers 264 runs in 2021/22, finishing second for the team behind skipper Jack Driver.
Driver said Brogden had “been very good for a while, he’s one of the best bats in the competition up the top of the order.”
Bell Post Hill
Dylan Walsh
The young opening bowler made the move from Lara to Bell Post Hill in the off-season, and acting coach Andrew Gurrie believes the young gun will make an “instant impact” at his new club.
Walsh took 15 wickets for the season in Lara’s second grade side, with best figures of 3/39.
Will Rodgers
Rodgers made the move from Mildura and has played games at Bell Post Hill in the past two seasons, but the young batter is set to be a permanent fixture this season.
He played three games and made 68 runs for Bell Post Hill in the 2021/22 season, and will bat at the top of the order.
Jordyn Nolan
Nolan made a breakthrough and debuted for the senior side last season after consistent performances with the bat.
The batter made an undefeated 33 on debut, and played two games at the top level to go with a full season in the seconds and thirds competitions.
Rhyce Nolan
Nolan spent the season playing seconds and thirds cricket for Bell Post Hill in 2021/22, taking eight wickets across the year.
The all-rounder dominated the under-15s competition in 2020/21, taking 22 wickets and making 292 runs in the season, while still playing some senior cricket in the thirds.
Lachie Handley
Handley has made the step up to senior cricket in the past few seasons, stringing together consistent performances in recent times.
The top-order batter made 192 runs in 11 first-grade games last season, with a top score of 38.
Torquay
Jack MacPherson
The opening batter made 512 runs across multiple grades last season, dominating in the under-17s competition.
MacPherson also made his debut in the seniors, but spent most of the year in the seconds where he made 207 runs with a high score of 82.
Coach Leigh Kentish is expecting MacPherson to be a consistent option at the top of the order for Torquay’s senior side this year.
Mackie Miller
Miller was strong with the ball in 2021/22, and is primed for big things in Torquay this season.
He took 26 wickets in the under-17s, second and third grade competitions, with an overall bowling average of 15.38.
Jack Sullivan
Sullivan had a fantastic season with the ball and was still proficient with the ball across a number of grades last season.
He took 36 wickets across first, second and third divisions, as well as under-17s, and also took four wickets in a game on two different occasions.
Murgheboluc
Mitchell Humm
Only 20 years old, Humm is one of the competition’s brightest young fast bowlers in the competition.
Humm broke through and made his senior debut in the 2019/20 season and has since played across the senior and reserve sides.
He took 21 wickets in 12 games last season, including six wickets from 36.5 overs in the top-flight side, and is expected to be a constant threat in 2022/23.
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