Cricket Southern Bayside: Hampton signs Premier Cricket quick, two overseas players
The Seahorses finished sixth in the Championship last season but have bolstered their ranks significantly for 2019-20.
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Cricket Southern Bayside club Hampton has added a sharp edge to its bowling attack by signing Victorian Premier Cricket fast bowler Charlie Ross.
Ross has spent the spent two seasons at Carlton and was previously with St Kilda.
He played 56 First XI matches between 2011-12 and 2017-18, taking 70 wickets at 26.84, with a best of 4-7.
Hampton skipper Daniel Forbes played with Ross at St Kilda and lured him to the club. He lives locally.
“I saw him off his full run for the first time on Saturday morning and he looked magnificent,’’ enthused new Hampton coach Matt Kenny.
“He’s been a really important recruit, finalised very recently. He’s as fit as a fiddle and he’s looking forward to playing with us and with Dan. We can build a side around those two.’’
Hampton will also have two overseas players in 2019-20 — all-rounder Jeremy Lawlor and Guy Harper.
Lawlor, 23, played for the Seahorses in 2017-18, hitting 339 runs at 37.7 and taking 17 wickets at 23.1.
He has played 11 first-class, five List A and six Twenty20 matches for County club Glamorgan.
“He’s a solid all-rounder, and one of the best fielders I’ve ever seen,’’ Kenny said. “He’s a freak in the field. The boys loved him and he loved being here last time. Really rapt we’ve managed to get him again.’’
Harper is a middle-order batsman from the Surrey Championship.
His results for Ashtead in the past few years suggest he will make more than his share of runs in CSB.
The Seahorses have also regained Hamish Scully, who missed last season because of work, and Ben Foon, who last played for the club in 2015-16.
For Kenny, the senior coaching role is an extension of 15 years of coaching junior teams — cricket and football — and his long association with the Seahorses.
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Last season he played his 350th game for the club, following his father, Jim, and brothers Sam and Joe to the milestone.
His son Abe is a third-generation First XI Hampton cricketer.
He said he was “pumped’’ with the opportunity to coach the club.
“They kind of asked me … and because I’ve pretty much coached all of the young blokes in the place and have a rapport with them, it seemed a good fit,’’ he said.
Kenny captained a Sunday development team last season and will do so again in 2019-20.
The Seahorses finished sixth on the eight-team Championship ladder last season.
“I think it’s going to be a seriously good comp again, and I reckon we’ll be competitive,’’ Kenny said.
“We’ve got a bit of depth and all the kids have another year under their belts. We’re really excited about the season.’’