Casey South Melbourne will blood two new players in Saturday’s first round of Premier Cricket
THEY had a horror season with just two wins, but Casey South Melbourne will debut a pair of new recruits in Saturday’s first round of Premier Cricket in the hope they can help lead them back to respectability.
South East
Don't miss out on the headlines from South East. Followed categories will be added to My News.
CASEY South Melbourne’s star English recruit Luke Wells will be missing from Round 1 of Premier Cricket but the Swans will unveil two other First XI newcomers this Saturday against Frankston Peninsula.
Wells, a left-hand batsman with 124 first-class matches behind him, has been appointed captain of the club, replacing Lachie Sperling.
He arrives in Melbourne a few days after the season-opener, leaving Sperling to take the toss one more time.
VICTORIA’S TWENTY20 COMP TRANSFORMED INTO SUPER SLAM
We are very excited to welcome Ryan Quirk and Josh Dowling to C-SM. Both will fit perfectly into our young playing group as we continue to build a strong list for season 2018/19.
— Casey South Melbourne CC (@CaseySthMelbCC) July 11, 2018
A good pick up for @CaseySthMelbCC, gaining Dandenong batsman Ryan Quirk, who was the @vicpremcricket joint player of last season in the Second XI. Quirk hit 716 runs at 48.
— ldrlocalcricket (@leadercricket) July 10, 2018
The Swans will select batsman Ryan Quirk and bowler Josh Dowling to debut for the club. Both have played First XI cricket for Dandenong.
Left-hander Quirk was the joint player of the Second XI competition last season, cracking more than 700 runs and two centuries.
He sensed more first team opportunities at Casey Fields rather than Shepley Oval.
Dandy were disappointed to lose him; the Swans were delighted to snaffle his signature.
Dowling played at Narre North in the DDCA last season and will help Casey South Melbourne overcome the departures of pacemen Brendan Rose and Leigh Diston.
Dowling, left-armer Jackson Fry and all-rounder Dylan Hadfield will follow spearhead Nathan Lambden, who continues to push for higher honours.
The Swans made a sharp rise to the finals in 2016-17, but tumbled to 17th last season, scrounging only two wins as runs dried up for the batsmen (only Michael Wallace, with 467, went past 400) and wickets eluded the bowlers (Lambden led the list with 25). The emergence of young off-spinner Jonah Serong (18 wickets) was a highlight of what was otherwise a thin season.
Changes were made in the off-season, with former Victorian opening batsman Nick Jewell coming on to the coaching panel, former Cranbourne coach Craig Lambden (father of Nathan) appointed director of cricket and Wells engaged as an overseas player.
His experience will benefit a young team and allow the classy Sperling to focus on his batting.
The Swans are also keen to put up a good showing in the inaugural Victorian Super Slam T20 competition and are putting together a separate squad.
Nuwan Kulasekara, who played 21 Test matches and 184 ODIs for Sri Lanka, Hallam Kalora Park all-rounder Jordan Hammond and former Victorian Second XI batsman Dale Tormey are confirmed Super Slam recruits.
All 18 Victorian Premier clubs accepted invitations to compete in Super Slam #01, which will have two conferences, each with nine teams.
Super Slam #01 will blast off on Sunday, November 25.
Named: the biggest local footy recruits of 2025
From Melton to Mornington, Epping to East Brighton, local footy clubs have secured some elite talent. We’ve named the biggest moves of the summer here.
Every in and out across the entire VAFA ahead of 2025
Keep up to date with every in and out across all six divisions of the Victorian Amateur Football Association. See every move here.