Premier Cricket: St Kilda goes into bat for Patrick Rowe

St Kilda captain Adam Crosthwaite is backing his wicketkeeper Patrick Rowe to bounce back from losing his state contract.

Patrick Rowe in the opening slot for St Kilda last season.

Patrick Rowe might have been dropped from the Victorian squad, but the young St Kilda wicketkeeper-batsman will come again, his club captain says.

Saints skipper Adam Crosthwaite says Rowe, 20, is too talented to be off the state cricket scene for too long.

Last week the Australian Under 19 representative lost the rookie contract he had held for two years.

He moved up the batting order to open in the second half of last season in Premier Cricket and finished with 411 runs at 31.6.

Crosthwaite said that was by no means a poor season but Rowe was capable of better and hadn’t converted any of his four 50s into centuries.

He said Rowe’s glovework was excellent and he was “one of the best, if not the best, keeper in the state’’.

“To be honest I think he’s got the other two (Sam Harper and Seb Gotch) covered in terms of wicketkeeping, but they’re making runs,’’ Crosthwaite said.

“It shows that if you’re a keeper and not making runs, not making hundreds … and Patty knows that. We’ve spoken about it. He played some terrific hands for St Kilda (last season) but he got 80 instead of a hundred.

“Having those hundreds under your belt … he could quite easily have got three hundreds and then it would probably be a different conversation.

The Saints are backing Patrick Rowe to bounce back from the disappointment of losing his state contract.

“He’s a beautiful bat. The only thing wrong with Patty Rowe is that he hasn’t nailed three or four hundreds.’’

Former first gloveman Crosthwaite said Rowe took “some absolute hangers (catches) last season that no one else in the state would have taken’’ and he was a wicketkeeper who cared about his craft.

Rowe was a “wicketkeeper first’’, he said.

Crosthwaite said it was “hugely disappointing’’ for Rowe to lose his state contract “but at the same time it’s given him some fire in the belly’’.

“I know he’s already back at work on his cricket, training again. He’s copped some bad news but he’s copped it on the chin and working his butt off. I’m excited and all of St Kilda are excited to see what Patty can do.’’

He said the club hoped Rowe could play some state Second XI cricket next season.

Fast bowler Henry Thornton has turned down a lucrative offer from a rival Premier club and will stay at St Kilda.

Coming from the Sydney Grade competition, Thornton took 36 wickets for the Saints.

Meanwhile the Dowling Shield will be back on Victorian cricket fixtures next season.

For many years “Dowling’’ was an Under 16 competition operated under the banner of clubs, giving them a pipeline to the best young cricketers in the state.

It was phased out of the Cricket Victoria program when a regional approach was adopted, later to be badged the Youth Premier League at Under 14, 16 and 18 level.

Cricket Victoria has finalised its pathway for next season and the Dowling Shield will return as an Under 17 boys competition to again run under the club umbrella.

The Under 18 girls series that began last season will continue.

The YPL will be Under 16s boys and Under 15 girls, aligning with the national championships (Under 17 boys and Under 16 girls).

The pathway for boys and girls will start at association level with representative teams competing in the Victorian Metropolitan Cricket Union (VMCU) series.

The boys have two divisions of Under 12 cricket (Keith Mitchell Shield, Josh Browne Plate), two of Under 14 (Russell Allen Shield, Desn Nolan Cup), two of Under 16 (Jim Beitzel Shield, Keith Mackay Shield) and the Under 18 Phil Arnold Shield.

The girls have the Under 12 Claudia Fatone Shield, the Under 14 Julie Savage Shield and the Under 16 Mel Jones Shield.

Players in country regions can turn out in Country Week tournaments arranged by local associations.

The Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association’s John Craig Shield for Under 15 boys is seen as a lead-in to the Under 16 boys YPL.

* The Cricket Australia national Twenty20 championship for Premier clubs has been scrapped because of costs.

It was held in Adelaide for two seasons, with Carlton winning the first title and Sydney the second.