Eastern Cricket Association: UK star Jack Taylor joins Surrey Hills

Look out bowlers: an English County cricket Vitality Blast captain has joined Surrey Hill for the 2021-22 ECA season.

Jack Taylor on the attack for Kingston Hawthorn.

Surrey Hills knows all about Jack Taylor.

A few years ago the UK batsman smacked a double century against the Hills when he was playing for Glen Iris in the Eastern Cricket Association Dunstan Shield.

He also made a ton against Mont Albert, weighing in with 513 runs for the season.

In a lifter for Surrey Hills, the club has recruited Taylor for 2021-22.

The Hills will play it in Wright Shield, having been demoted from Dunstan.

Victorian stalwart Brendan “Bushy’’ McArdle alerted them to Taylor’s availability and they were quick to act on his steer.

Taylor is married to an Australian woman, is a regular visitor to Melbourne and was able to come into the country amid Covid restrictions (he is serving 14 days in hotel quarantine in the CBD).

Jack Taylor after making a century for Kingston Hawthorn against Melbourne.

Aside from his season with Glen Iris, the 29-year-old had two years with Kingston Hawthorn in Victorian Premier Cricket, hitting two centuries, one against a strong Melbourne attack.

Demons assistant coach Julien Wiener called it one of the best hands he’d seen at District/Premier level.

At first-class level Taylor has played 82 matches for Gloucestershire and scored seven centuries. He captains the county in the Vitality Blast T20 competition.

Called for throwing his off-spin, Taylor started bowling leggies and will roll them out for Surrey Hills.

Surrey Hills president Mal Campbell said the club was thrilled to land Taylor, a professional cricketer for 11 years.

“I don’t think too many other clubs in the ECA have been able to bring in a County player this year, or last year,’’ he said.

Surrey Hills had the services of English fast bowler Nathan Buck in 2019-20, as well as cult figure Pavel Florin, who played in the lower grades.

Although the Hills struggled last season after a big turnover of players, Campbell said four 18-year-olds were blooded into the top team.

The other positive for the club going into 2021-22 is that it will have use of its ground, having fended off plans to have it used as a storage area for State Government level crossing work.

“That is a huge relief. That would have killed out club after 132 years,’’ Campbell said.

“It would have been a tragedy.’’