West Gippsland Cricket Association: Recruits to strengthen Premier ranks
West Gippsland Cricket Association clubs have been busily preparing for the 2020-21 season. There have been plenty of comings and goings and key appointments in Premier ranks.
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While it’s unknown when local cricket will start, it hasn’t stopped West Gippsland Cricket Association clubs from feverishly preparing for the 2020-21 season.
There have been plenty of comings and goings, new appointments and plans hatched as clubs plot success.
We take a look at how Premier clubs are shaping up:
Reigning champs Koo Wee Rup has had a change at the top, with club legend and eight-time premiership player Chris “Tubsy’’ O’Hara replacing Mark Cooper as senior coach. Cooper has left to coach Carrum in the Mornington Peninsula association.
O’Hara, 42, says he feels no pressure to continue the Demons’ run of premierships and is more intent on pushing through the next generation of Koo Wee cricketers.
Success, he says, will look after itself.
Koo We Rup will regain premiership players Lachie Ramage (Pakenham Upper), Cody Miller (Dandenong) and John Bright (Foster), while Mt Eliza seamer Robbie Maskiell is a handy pick up.
Champion batsman Dale Tormey will captain Pakenham, which made last season’s grand final but never got to play it because of the coronavirus crisis.
Tormey has been the competition’s leading run scorer over the past two seasons, and he also led the WGCA at the 2020 Country Week carnival.
Robbie Elston will continue as Pakenham’s senior coach; this will be his sixth season in charge.
Tooradin has recruited talented wicket keeper-batsman Ben Parrott from Cardinia, but lost Troy Lehman, who has left to coach Drouin. The Seagulls have appointed Dylan Sutton and Ricky Holland (non-playing) as assistant coaches to support senior coach Cal O’Hare. Popular “Dutchy’’ Holland is a past club president and senior coach.
Clyde’s bid for its first WGCA Premier flag has been boosted with the signing of hard-hitting MPCA batsman Daniel Polson.
The powerful left-hander will slot into the top order as the Cougars look to go a couple of steps further after making the semi-finals last season.
Polson has a reputation of scoring quickly and changing games with his big hitting.
Clyde has had a change of coach, with Matty Aslett replacing Kiefer Peries, who will remain as a player.
Daniel Lever will skipper the Cougars.
Cranbourne Meadows have appointed dynamic batsman Vish Thind as playing-coach.
Thind was part of the Rebels’ District premiership victory in 2018-19 that secured them promotion to Premier for the first time in their history.
Opening batsman Dustin Peebles will coach Merinda Park. He takes the reins after serving as assistant coach last season.
But the Cobras have lost key players Jarrod Armitage (to Sorrento) and Matt Campbell (Mordialloc).
Cardinia looks set to climb the ladder after adding five players from MPCA powerhouse Langwarrin, including Kangaroos premiership coach Jake Prosser and opening bowler Leigh Paterson.
Prosser will skipper the Bulls.
Bulls favourite, hard-hitting left-hander Ricky Campbell, is also back at Gunton Oval.
Left-handed opener Mitch Bromley and the experienced Nathan Volpe have also joined Cardinia from Langwarrin. And Cardinia has also regained team of the decade member Dean “Moose’’ Henwood after recent stints at NNG/Maryknoll and Garfield-Tynong and young paceman Jack Bacon from Koo Wee Rup and Pakenham Upper Toomuc. Bradey Welsh will lead the Bulls as senior coach.
Upper Beaconsfield returns to Premier ranks but looks like being without its star batsman Imesh Jayasekara, who is returning to Sri Lanka.
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