Cricket Southern Bayside: English batsman bolsters Murrumbeena

The Beena won the White Ball crown and made the semi-finals of Division 1 last season. And everything points to them having a strong 2019-20.

Murrumbeena has locked in a top-rank recruit as it sets out to give the Cricket Southern Bayside Division 1 premiership a push in 2019-20.

The Beena finished second on the ladder last season but crashed to defeat in the semi-final, falling for 81 as they chased eventual premier Aspendale’s 179.

It put to waste teenage off-spinner Tom Kelly’s haul of 6-41 off 27 overs.

The club has signed 20-year-old English batsman Matthew Morris, who played with Southport Labrador in Queensland last season.

He had a good time of it, peeling off 703 runs at 39.06 and taking 19 wickets at 20.37.

Morris has played Second XI County cricket for Essex, in the Minor Counties for Staffordshire and for Westhoughton in the Bolton Premier League.

“Very happy to have signed him; he’ll slot into our top-order nicely,’’ Beena president Jarrod Martin said.

“He also bowls a bit of part-time off-spin, like a lot of the UK boys. I’m sure we’ll get a few overs out of him.’’

Tons of runs: Murrumbeena captain Brad Kruger.

The club is in talks with another English player.

Morris goes into a team that, aside from making the two-day semi-finals, won the White Ball title last season.

Sri Lankan first-class paceman Nuwan Karunarathna, 25, is returning for a second year and the club expects improvement from young players Tom Kelly, Xavier Ross and Will Kelly.

The experienced Troy Lamb (retired) is the only loss.

Brad Kruger remains First XI captain as well as the team’s most influential player.

In his two years with Murrumbeena he’s won two Division 1 MVPs, last season weighing in with three centuries and 778 runs at 64.8.

“I think we’re shaping up well. I think we can be right up there again in the red ball and the White Ball stuff,’’ Martin said.

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Division 1 will have a new look this season, with McKinnon demoted from the Championship and St Brigids St Louis joining Cricket Southern Bayside from the Dandenong association.

Despite winning there premiership Aspendale stays in Division 1 to accommodate Mordialloc’s arrival to the Championship.

“I think it’s going to be pretty even. There won’t be too many easy games,’’ Martin said.

“Everyone will have to be on their game, especially in the shorter form.’’