Premier Cricket 2019-20: Fitzroy Doncaster aiming for a fifth consecutive finals appearance
Fitzroy Doncaster will lean on Victorian rookie Sam Elliott to lead its bowling attack this season after the departures of Trent Lawford, Andrew Perrin and Chris Moore.
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Victorian rookie Sam Elliott will be expected to shoulder more of the bowling workload for Fitzroy Doncaster this Premier Cricket season in a new-look pace attack.
Elliott captured 26 wickets in his first season of First XI cricket last summer and is one of the state’s most promising young quicks.
He was rewarded with his first state contract in May.
TRENT LAWFORD DEPARTS FITZROY DONCASTER
Fitzroy Doncaster captain Ejaaz Alavi said the teenager would “be the leader of our attack” following the departures of Ryder medallist Trent Lawford, former Tasmanian paceman Andrew Perrin and Chris Moore.
“Sam Elliott is hopefully going to step up again,” Alavi said when asked to nominate who would replace the star trio.
“It’s a bit of extra responsibility on his shoulders but I think he is really looking forward — and I’m really looking forward — to seeing how he goes … against opposition because he has been going pretty hard at us in the nets.”
Recruits Jake Sherriff and Harrison Goad will also provide pace options, and Alavi will lead the spin department.
Fringe pair Tim Law and Nick Fletcher will also be given a chance to prove their worth in the top grade.
Sherriff returns to Fitzroy Doncaster after stints at The Basin and Warrandyte, returning 181 wickets in five seasons.
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Goad also topped Kingston Hawthorn’s leading wicket-takers list in 2018-19 with 15 scalps.
Lawford, Perrin and the underrated Moore have been central to Fitzroy Doncaster’s sustained success in recent years, which has included two premierships, a grand final and preliminary final appearance.
But Alavi said any predictions of a slide down the ladder this season should be dismissed.
“We’re really excited about the team we’re going to put out on the park,” he said.
“We’ll be fighting for that premiership again — that’s always the goal.
“We think we’ll definitely give it a good shot and be thereabouts at season’s end.”
With the bat, Alavi said Noah Korkolis, who hit his maiden First XI ton last summer, would “be a player to watch”.
Vice-captains Nat Vardi and Liam Banthorpe will also be expected to be leaders of the batting group, which will be without 2015-16 premiership player Matthew Bremner.
Bremner has retired after 134 First XI games, which included five centuries.
And Peter Dickson, who is closing in on 10,000 runs, will provide experience in the middle-order.
Alavi said Fitzroy Doncaster had its sights fixed on a fifth consecutive finals series.
“We’re backing ourselves again to have another good crack,” he said.
“We’ve definitely got the players and the culture to really enjoy our cricket and back ourselves in to be thereabouts.”