Greenvale Kangaroos announce Michael Stretton will captain Premier Cricket club in 2019-20

Greenvale Kangaroos’ decision to appoint Trent Johnston as coach has paid immediate dividends with the signature of NSW Premier Cricket club Bankstown captain Michael Stretton for next season.

Michael Stretton will captain Greenvale Kangaroos in 2019-20. Picture: Ian Svegovic

Greenvale Kangaroos have followed their coaching coup with a captaincy coup.

Michael Stretton has been appointed Kangaroos captain for 2019-20 after arriving from NSW Premier Cricket powerhouse Bankstown.

Stretton captained Bankstown for two years and relocated to Melbourne earlier this year.

It’s another crucial off-season addition for Greenvale after former Ireland captain and NSW coach Trent Johnston was appointed in March.

Stretton said he was excited by the potential of linking up with Johnston at Greenvale.

Bankstown captain Michael Stretton.

“My partner got into a course at Melbourne Uni, so we’ve relocated to Melbourne,” he said.

“Trent (Johnston) got wind through some NSW ties and gave me a call and conversations progressed from there.

“The expectations are it will be on par with Sydney, very difficult but I think good fun.

“It’s quite exciting at Greenvale with the position the club is in.”

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Johnston and Stretton replace Matthew Love who moved to country Victoria for family reasons.

The Kangaroos finished 17th last season but are eyeing rapid progression in 2019-20.

Stretton, a wicketkeeper-batsman at Bankstown, will focus solely on his batting with Greenvale.

Batting up and down the order, Stretton finished with 196 runs at an average of 19 in 2018-19 and 22 catches and one stumping with the gloves.

Trent Johnston during his time as NSW coach. Picture: Mark Evans

However, he was looking forward to concentrating on his batting, while also moving into coaching.

“I’ve always kept but it was a good time to step away from the gloves,” he said.

“I’ll be able to focus on my batting which I haven’t been able to do with keeping and captaining and everything else.

“Definitely, I’ll do some academy work and coaching with our young guys.

“It’s really exciting and something I really enjoy doing.”

The Kangaroos are still looking to expand their playing group for next season with talks continuing with potential recruits.

“We are still having a number of discussions with players and expect further exciting signings,” cricket director Peter Di Venuto said.

“It is the perfect time for a cricketer to get involved with, or to come back to Greenvale.”