Premier Cricket: Star batsmen and bowlers Stepien, Egan, Buckingham, Thomson

Some of the competition’s best players have retired and now more may be lost to interstate teams, including Brayden Stepien and Jordan Buckingham.

Young Footscray paceman Jordan Buckingham is in South Australia’s sights.

Cricket Victoria is bracing for an interstate raid and the departure of some of the most accomplished players from Premier Cricket.

South Australia, coming off a battling season that led to a clean-out of its squad, is expected to make a play for a number of first-class cricket aspirants in Premier ranks.

Tasmania is also tipped to come at Victorian players, particularly dashing Carlton wicketkeeper-batsman Brayden Stepien.

The Redbacks failed to win a game in the Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup, and are overhauling their squad.

The experienced Tom Cooper was among five players let go, and former Test pair Chadd Sayers and Callum Ferguson had already confirmed they were retiring.

Prahran batsman Damon Egan gets inventive in the grand final. Picture: Valeriu Campan

CV officials believe Geelong opener Eamonn Vines, Prahran No 3 Damon Egan, Melbourne top-order batsman Blake Thomson and on-the-rise Footscray paceman Jordan Buckingham will be recruiting targets for the Redbacks.

St Kilda quickie Henry Thornton is another player expected to attract interest.

All are coming off excellent 2020-21 seasons.

Egan, 23, crowned his campaign with the John Scholes Medal as player of the match in the Prahran and Dandenong grand final at the Junction Oval.

The right-hander joined Prahran from St Kilda, and could count three centuries in his aggregate of 779 runs at 55.6, including 107 in the decider.

In a season of one-day fixtures, Vines topped the run list with 857 at 56.5, with one century.

The 27-year-old left-hander played the last of five Shield games for the Vics against Queensland in February, 2020.

Carlton dasher Brayden Stepien.

Stepien scored 637 runs at 53.1 – with a strike rate of 113.8 – and during the season was called into the Melbourne Renegades squad for the Big Bash League.

The 23-year-old started the season playing club cricket in Tasmania, blazing 223 for 158 in one match, and it’s believed Tassie are keen on the left-hander.

Thomson, also 23, lost his state contract ahead of the 2019-20 season.

Last season he made 636 runs at 63.6 for the Demons and 12 months earlier his numbers were 719 at 59.6. The right-hander played three one-dayers for Victoria in 2017-18.

In the bowling ranks, former NSW Second XI quickie Thornton hit Premier Cricket at pace, nabbing 36 wickets at 14.42 for the Saints.

Buckingham finished down the list of wickettakers with 21 wickets at 25.4, but the 21-year-old is well regarded in Premier circles.

“He’s quick enough, gets good bounce and bowls a good standard length,’’ one batsman said of Buckingham.

Outside of players moving interstate, Premier Cricket has already lost some formidable players.

Essendon left-hander and former Vic Aaron Ayre has stepped away from the competition at the age of 28 and is being linked with Subbies club Coburg, where his brother-in-law, Aaron Shellie, is coach.

Northcote’s former captain and 2015-16 Ryder Medal recipient Steve Taylor has retired after 151 First XI matches, and Camberwell Magpies great Simon Hill has called a close to his 10,000-run career.

Meanwhile Dandenong captain Tom Donnell is weighing up his future and Melbourne skipper and former international Cameron White is expected to pull up stumps.

White played seven matches for the Demons this season in between his coaching duties in South Australia.

Meanwhile, heavy scoring Essendon left-hand batsman James Seymour, who hit a half-century when called up to Victoria’s Sheffield Shield team for the last match of the season, will almost certainly receive a state contract.