VSDCA: Leading country players Oliver Hayes and Cormac Hassett join Subbies

Top country cricketers Oliver Hayes and Cormac Hassett can be added to the long list of recruits to Sub-District cricket for 2021-22.

Oliver Hayes lets one go for East Ballarat. Pic: The Courier

The list of recruits to Sub-District cricket for the 2021-22 season becomes more impressive by the day ahead of Round 1 on Saturday week.

Two leading country cricketers can be added to a group of newcomers that VSDCA president Phil O’Meara believes is better than any he’s seen in his time in the competition.

Opposition clubs won’t want to hear it, but powerhouse Caulfield has gained an opening fast bowler from the Ballarat association in Oliver Hayes.

And Ormond has recruited Cormac Hassett, an accomplished batsman from Gippsland.

Hayes, 6’5, is from the East Ballarat club, which is where Caulfield champion Jacob Thorne played his early cricket.

Last season the right-armer took 32 wickets at 14.1; in 2018-19 he grabbed 43 at 14.2.

Since breaking into the first team he’s had more bags than you would see at the Melbourne Show.

Thorne said Hayes, 27, was living in Richmond and wanted to play cricket in Melbourne rather than travel back to Ballarat every weekend.

“He’s a very good bowler,’’ he said.

“He hit me up a few months ago and we had a chat and that was that.’’

Thorne said Hayes’ pace was comparable with Caulfield quicks Lachie Graf and Andy King.

“He might be one of those recruits who flies under the radar hopefully,’’ he said.

“We’re pretty excited to see what he can do. And he’s a ripping fella too. Even with the limited number of sessions he’s always fitted in well. Subbies is going to be a step-up for him but I’m confident he’s going to be a pretty good player.’’

In the off-season the Fielders sent young premiership players Josh Agar (Prahran) and Jayden Banks (St Kilda) to Premier Cricket.

But they’ve gained Hayes and former St Kilda all-rounder Dan Forbes from Hampton, and it’s easy to predict another successful season for Caulfield given it has played in the finals every year since 2002-03.

Daniel Forbes batting for St Kilda.

Last season under the captaincy of Subbies champion Thorne they won their fourth flag in nine years when they defeated Ormond in the grand final.

Hassett joins the Monders from Stratford in the strong Sale-Maffra association, where he has been a regular representative player.

He is coming off a stint playing alongside Ormond captain Ben Speake at PINT in the Darwin association.

From the grand final team, the Monders have said their goodbyes to left-arm quickie Blade Baxter, Sachin Varadarajan and Dylan Rhys-Jones.

But they have signed dashing batsman Adam Bull from Prahran and Rory Freeman, a decorated under-age player with Ormond, has returned after a stop with Melbourne.

Other notable newcomers to the VSDCA south-west section include:

* Peter Cassidy at Brighton. Cassidy figured in Dandenong’s 2017-18 premiership and in 77 First XI matches collected 113 wickets, with a best of 6-30.

* Lincoln “LJ” Edwards at Elsternwick. The classy right-hander has returned to his junior club as captain, taking over from Cam Christiansen. Like Cassidy, Edwards was part of Dandenong’s 2017-18 premiership side.

* Trent Waring at Taylors Lakes. Waring ended a 13-year stint at Premier Cricket club Greenvale Kangaroos when he signed with the Lakers. He’ll add some much-needed firepower alongside last VSDCA season’s second leading wicket-taker Hoa Lai.