Subbies Cricket 2019-20: Caulfield looks to share the runs around

The Fielders will lean on their younger players to step up and cover the departures of Peter Cross, Adam Warren and Sam Anthony.

Caulfield captain Jacob Thorne says there will be a “changing of the guard’’ at the club in 2019-20.

Hopefully for the Fielders it won’t translate to a changing of ladder positions.

They’ve occupied the top rungs for such a long time that they’re often referred to as the “perennial power’’ of Sub-District cricket.

They appeared on course for another premiership last season when they established a 12-1 record in home-and-away fixtures.

Their batting, however, crumbled in finals against Elsternwick and Oakleigh.

It was a sting for Thorne, who missed out in both finals but a few weeks later won the VSDCA Val Holten Medal for a record fourth consecutive season.

The side that lost to Oakleigh in the semi-finals has shed the retired Adam Warren, Peter Cross (returned to NSW) and Englishman Sam Anthony.

That’s a chunk out of the batting line-up, but in former Premier player David Tantsis-Hall Caulfield has recruited a left-hander in the mould of Cross.

Thorne said the ex-Essendon and Northcote batsman hit the ball hard and would bat in the top-order.

“He’s put in a good pre-season and looks a strong player,’’ Thorne said. “We’ll be expecting some pretty good results out of him, and he’s expecting some pretty good results out of himself.’’

Matt Howard (right) during the 2017-18 grand final in which he played a starring role.

He is the sole key signing; Caulfield’s improvement would have to “come from development from within’’, Thorne said, naming teenage batsman Josh Agar as a player to watch, and Liam Campbell, John Aikins and Matthew Howard as capable of finding another level.

Howard went to Caulfield’s rescue in the 2017-18 grand final but had a quiet time of it last season.

THORNE WINS FOURTH VAL HOLTEN MEDAL

FLAG FOR MIGHTY OAKS

All-rounder Dale Denny was man of the match in that grand final for his 78. He made a delayed start last season owing to injury but is fit and ready for Round 1 and the Fielders are hoping he can move up the batting list.

“We need a few guys to step up on the batting front, because that’s where the holes have been,’’ Thorne said.

“Two years ago we had blokes who had career-best years. Last year we had blokes who had career-worst years,’’ Thorne noted. “We’re hoping we can get them back to, not necessarily career-best years, but somewhere near it.

“We’ve got a lot of players in the age range of 19 to 23, 24 who should be ready to step up.’’

Adrian Jones bowling for St Kilda. He’s joined Caulfield as senior coach.

Caulfield has a new coach in former St Kilda premiership fast bowler Adrian Jones, who is coming off a successful stint at Mordialloc and replaces Luke Webster.

Jones also coached Kingston Hawthorn when it was known as Kingston Saints and competed in Subbies.

“He’s very well planned, well structured and doing a lot of hands-on coaching with all the players but in particular the bowlers,’’ Thorne said.

“Looking forward to seeing the fruits of that throughout the year.’’

Thorne admitted it took him a while to shrug off the disappointment of the straight-sets finals exit.

But he said some tight wins during the season had “maybe inflated our end position on the ladder’’.

“We had a shit finals series. No one stood up with the bat apart from ‘Rummo’ (Graeme Rummans) and then your season is over. I think it will make us determined to get back to where we were two years ago, with even performances across the board. Last year there were probably only two players who could put their hand up and say they had good years with the bat, whereas the year before it was eight players.’’