VSDCA: Balwyn to turn to youth this Sub-District Cricket season

BALWYN captain-coach Steve Duckworth believes 2018-19 will be a development season for the Tigers after the departure of four First XI players.

Steve Duckworth sends one down last summer. Picture: Hamish Blair

BALWYN captain-coach Steve Duckworth believes 2018-19 will be a development season for the Tigers after the departure of four First XI players.

Young spinner Luke Prior will test himself at Premier club Camberwell, premiership player Alex Young has retired while imports Declan Gallagher and Harry Swindells won’t be returning.

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Alex Young has called time on his career. Picture: Chris Eastman/AAP

Their departures means Balwyn will be hoping some of the products of its academy can nail down positions in the First XI this summer.

“We’ve got places opening up from the opening position to No.4 and No.5, so there is probably three or four positions where guys, if they really want to knuckle down in the pre-season, they can take up those spots,” Duckworth said.

“While I feel it’s a development sort of year, I still feel the talent we do have is quite significant.”

Middle-order batsman Nathan Lester has come across from Fitzroy Doncaster, where he played in the Third and Fourth XI last season.

English import Jake Beaumont will also “probably slot in at five or six” when he arrives from Leicestershire and Rutland Cricket League club Leicester Ivanhoe.

From within, medium-pacer Jackson Ellingworth and young middle-order batsmen Liam Fitzpatrick and Vihaan Narayana will also be given more First XI opportunities.

Luke Prior is off to Camberwell. Picture: Chris Eastman/AAP

Teenagers Angus Molden, who has been named in Vic Metro’s squad for the under-17 national championships, and Flynn Maguire could also push for debuts at the top level.

“I think the key for the players that are coming through is opportunity arises again for these sort of guys,” Duckworth said.

“There are positions everywhere, to be fair, so it’s going to be an interesting year knowing where our weak points are, which was our batting, as you can probably attest to by seeing the results from last season.

“I just think you have to make do and that has been the focus of this pre-season.”

Balwyn will hold a practice game against Coburg on September 15 at Mulwala before opening its campaign against Bayswater on October 6 in a two-day game.