Another Victorian Premier Cricket Ryder Medal star joins Cricket Southern Bayside

What a boost for Beaumaris, with former Frankston-Peninsula, Prahran and Kingston-Hawthorn star James Miller joining the club.

Yet another high-calibre cricketer has joined the Cricket Southern Bayside competition, with former Victorian Premier Cricket all-rounder James “Funky’’ Miller signing at Beaumaris.

Miller has linked with his former Prahran teammate and captain Sam Coates, who is skipper of the Championship division club.

The 36-year-old was an outstanding Premier player, first at Frankston Peninsula, then Prahran and Kingston Hawthorn.

His statistics bear out his quality with ball and bat.

In 260 matches Miller captured 495 wickets at an average of 20.11 with his right-arm pace, 15 times taking five wickets or more in an innings.

He also hit 5273 runs at 24.75, with four centuries and 20 half-centuries.

James Miller took almost 500 wickets in Victorian Premier Cricket.

Throw in 106 catches and the picture of a class all-rounder is completed.

Out of the St Brigids St Louis club, Miller first appeared in Premier Cricket for Frankston Peninsula in 1998-99 and played 175 matches for the Heat.

A transfer to Prahran came in 2013-14. In his first season at Toorak Park he dazzled with 49 wickets and 627 runs to claim the coveted Ryder Medal.

An opportunity to coach took him to the replanted Kingston Hawthorn in 2015-16.

After three seasons with the Hawks he retired at the end of 2017-18.

Miller is the second Ryder Medallist to link with Cricket Southern Bayside in the past three weeks, after former Tasmanian pace bowler and Camberwell Magpies coach Brendan Drew pitched his tent at Bentleigh.

Former Sri Lankan opening batsman Michael Vandort will also appear in the competition, returning to Parkdale.