VSDCA 2018-19: Preston banking on strength of pace attack
PRESTON will deploy a four-pronged pace attack it hopes will inspire a VSDCA finals tilt this summer.
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PRESTON will deploy a four-pronged pace attack it hopes will inspire a VSDCA finals tilt this summer.
The Bullants have welcomed back opening bowler Jackson Smith from Northcote and signed Irishman Fionn Hand to complement existing quicks Dalis Thomas and Chaminda Vidanapathirana.
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“The bowling stocks are looking up,” coach Alex Lewis said.
“I am fairly optimistic about this year, but you are optimistic after every pre-season I reckon. “It’s hard to know where you are going to land.
“Anything close to the top six, or best-case scenario top six, will be a win for us. We are under no illusions we have got a developing list.”
Smith took 30 wickets for Northcote’s Premier Second XI last summer and is a welcome addition after work commitments forced him to return to Preston.
Lewis said Hand was a bowling all-rounder capable of producing the “upper speeds” of VSDCA bowlers.
“He just makes it inside our points cap, which is fantastic. He’s a cracker,” Lewis said.
The playing coach is likely to start in the seconds as he builds match fitness after a knee injury.
A leg-spinner, Lewis would offer variety to the Bullants’ fast-bowling battery and took 29 wickets three seasons ago.
“I just want to get a good bowl in and see where I am at out in the middle,” he said.
His return would be a boost for the club’s bowling stocks after it ranked 13th for wickets taken (82 in 13 games) in the North-West group in 2017-18.
Preston will be led by Irish batsman Eoghan Delany, who has replaced Luke Bramich as skipper.
The Bullants will be out to improve on their 13th-placed finish from 2017-18, a season during which they claimed only two wins.
“We saw big improvement last year,” Lewis said.
“We just wanted to make sure the players really bought into that again this year.
“The First XI guys, they are really starting to mature. Those guys that were in their early to mid-20s are starting to get a little older now.”
Preston meets Mt Waverley in Round 1, which starts on Saturday.
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