Ballarat and Hamilton to face off in 100-year clash

Melbourne Country Week is set to start with a bang with a special 100th anniversary game. Here’s who has been selected.

There might have been some nervous moments while in the 90s but Ballarat and Hamilton are ready to celebrate Melbourne Country Cricket week’s biggest milestone.

The two associations will re-enact the first final, which took place in 1922 and was won by Ballarat, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the event on Sunday at Wendouree.

Two years of Covid forced delays have forced the celebration to be pushed back.

Ballarat will use this weekend’s clash to show off some of its brightest young talents.

“It’s an under-23s team and based on players who are under-23 that have been performing well in the BCA competitions,” BCA operations officer Jenna Fowlie said.

“We didn’t pick a team for the sake of it.

“The team is competitive and they are the best of the best in terms of under-23 players.

“We look forward to putting them all together, hopefully they might be the Country Week players of the future.”

The team will feature Ballarat Redan’s Jayden Hayes who is among the local competition’s leading run scorers this season.

He is also captain for the team.

Fowlie added Mount Clear’s Jack Jeffrey is a player to look out for with the bat while Jack Harwood from Ballarat Redan is capable of producing something with the ball.

Jayden Hayes batting for Ballarat Redan Cricket Club. Picture: Valeriu Campan

For Hamilton, its team is a celebration of those who have served the association well over the past few years.

“A lot of guys picked in our team would have been picked in the Country Week side but they’ve had their time and are now too busy to get the time off,” Hamilton District president Lloyd Ilett said.

Ilett said the association has been to every event apart from the Covid years and when drought has impacted their areas.

This year the team will compete in Division 2, a far cry from Provincial.

Ilett said the team, regardless, of where it was competing, would give a good account of themselves.

The game will be played at CE Brown Reserve in Ballarat.

Teams

Ballarat: Jayden Hayes (captain), Jack Harwood, Mitch Ward, Rockey Hoey, Campbell Palmer, Bailey Ryan, Jack Jeffrey, Liam Wood, Zack Maple, Lucas Argall, Lachlan Payne, Dylan York.

Hamilton: Hamish Bailey (captain), Brendan Huf, Will Collins, Robbie Cook, Anthony Read, Chay Deary, Mitch Lang (wk), Luke Filer, Brandon Weatherson, Angus Harms, Cameron Templeton, Lachlan Watt, James Guthrig (emergency).