Victorian Premier Cricket: 25 young players to watch in 2021-22 season
From Kangaroo Darcy Bell to Demon Xander Buxton, here’s a bunch of talented young cricketers coming through Premier ranks in Victoria.
Local Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local Sport . Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Victorian Premier Cricket season starts next Saturday.
Who are the next players pushing up in the competition?
We name 25 young players worth tracking in the 2021-22 season.
Darcy Bell, Greenvale Kangaroos
Two years ago Bell was playing thirds and fourths for the Kangas. Last season the left-armer rose from the lower grades to take 21 wickets at 19.6 in the top team, highlighted by his 6-22 off 8.4 overs against Northcote. The Roos might have found one; coach Damian Shanahan calls him “super impressive’’. “We’re expecting Darcy to continue his rise in the competition … he’s worked extremely hard on his game in the off-season,’’ he said. Bell joined the Kangaroos from South Morang in the Diamond Valley Cricket Association.
Dylan Brasher, Footscray
The organised left-hander continued his pleasing progress last season, opening the batting and scoring 468 runs at 31.2, including an innings of 104 against a strong Dandenong attack, his maiden century. He’s seen more as a red-ball player but teammates consider him more dynamic than he’s given credit for and it will come out in his game with more experience and confidence.
Ashley Chandrasinghe, Casey South Melbourne
The left-hand opener has taken not one false step since the Swans promoted him to their top team, and he must have been in the thoughts of the Victorian selectors three months ago when they were drawing up their rookie list. Chandrasinghe is technically pleasing and patient, and prefers red ball to white. Yet he put up 669 runs at 47.8 in a program of one-day matches last season, including a hand of 103 not out against Ringwood and five half-centuries. The 20-year-old took himself off to Darwin in the off-season and punched out plenty more runs.
Poppy Gardner, Dandenong
The left-arm opening bowler showed good improvement last season and featured in Dandneong’s premiership team, taking 1-26 off nine overs in the grand final. She finished with a handy 17 wickets, enough to have her included in the Vic Country Under 19 female emerging players program.
Josh Garner, Geelong
Big Joel Garner bowled a heavy ball and so does Josh Garner, the young fast bowler from Geelong. He started last season in the seconds but finished it with 16 First XI matches and opening the bowling in a semi-final against Dandenong. Right arm and regularly hitting the bat high, he collected 21 wickets at 23.8. Was added to the Cricket Victoria emerging performance squad in winter.
Hasrat Gill, Melbourne
There’s much skill and promise about the 15-year-old Demon, a leg-spinner and left-hand batter. She figured in Melbourne’s Second XI premiership last season, taking 3-23 off eight overs and hitting 24 not out. Picked for the Under 19 female series at Easter, she cracked 53 not out in one match and grabbed 4-3 in another. Gill also distinguished herself by captaining the Endeavour Hills team in the VSDCA John Craig Shield and winning the Sue Woolcock Award as women’s Premier seconds player of the season.
Josh Hartill, Ringwood
Another emerging wicketkeeper-batsman in Premier Cricket. Improving in all facets of his game and gained more experience by playing in Darwin in the off-season. Broke through for a century for Nightcliff against a bowling attack that included Chris Tremain.
Matt Hennig, St Kilda
Hennig is right arm, strong and slippery, but a hip injury checked his progress last season. Happily for the Saints, he has recovered and will be available for Round 1. “He’s going to be exciting to watch,’’ St Kilda captain Adam Crosthwaite said. “Last year was supposed to be the year for him but as happens with a lot of fast bowlers, he had some issues with his body. Now he’s ready to get cranking.’’ And a few batsman are ready to get ducking.
Una Raymond-Hoey
The Irish international has had two excellent seasons for Ringwood, finishing 2020-21 with an innings of 116 not out against Prahran. Raymond-Hoey is looking to pursue her cricket in Australia after playing four matches for Ireland between 2016-18.
Milly Illingworth, EMP
Right-arm bowler with a slinging action and was getting the ball through at impressive pace towards the end of last season. She’s also useful with the bat. The 16-year-old is from Port Campbell and played for the Vic Country Under 19 team in the Easter series.
Campbell Kellaway, Melbourne
There are plenty of up-and-comers at the Albert and left-hand batsman Kellaway looks as likely as any of them. He came in for a First XI debut early last season and in his second innings scored an assured half-century against Casey South Melbourne. Kellaway wound up with a handy 310 runs at 25.8. And in the off-season he wound up in Darwin with a Cricket Australia XI, in one match hitting 92 off 103 balls.
Will Lovell, St Kilda
The tall right-armer put together a strong second season for the Saints, often coming in behind quickie Henry Thornton and veteran Simon O’Brien and picking up 28 wickets at 14.8. A few at St Kilda were surprised his name didn’t appear in the emerging performance squad. But, armed with variations including a sucker slower ball, there’s little doubt he’s an emerging fast bowler in Premier Cricket.
Reiley Mark, Richmond
The off-spinner landed in the Richmond First XI at the age of 16 and immediately looked comfortable at Premier level. He’s now 18 and doing Year 12 at Haileybury College, where he was outstanding in the APS cricket competition last season with 23 wickets at 12.35 (and more than a third of his overs were maidens). Mark was included in a Cricket Australia XI assembled for a T20 series in the NT and then linked with Southern Storm for the Strike League. Accurate, gets plenty of revs on the ball and has the temperament to go with a natural talent for slow bowling.
Bailey Moon, Prahran
The tall right-arm paceman transferred to the True Blues in the off-season after taking his Premier Cricket bow at Richmond. He’ll take his place in an attack headed by Matt Wilcox and will look to contribute runs down the list. Moon performed well in the Easter series at Hamilton and Dunkeld and was subsequently named in the CV emerging performance squad.
Yash Pednekar, Richmond
Stylish young right-hander with a technique transported right out of a textbook. The Australian under-age representative is still finding his way in Premier Cricket but he’s done enough to make some watchers think he’s got a fine future.
Sophie Reid, Carlton
Wicketkeeper-batter who has made the move from Plenty Valley to Carlton, where she will doubtless enjoy the true Blue wicket. Striking the ball cleanly, she hit 357 runs at 32.5 last season as she continued to push for higher honours. A member of the Victorian female emerging performance squad.
Tom Rogers, Ringwood
The 22-year-old left-hander plundered three centuries last season, blasting off in Round 1 with 181 not out off 148 deliveries against Northcote. He finished with 632 runs at 52.7. Hopefully for Rogers he’ll get to play some state seconds cricket this season as he builds towards bigger cricket.
Patrick Rowe, St Kilda
The wicketkeeper-batsman, a former Australian Under 19 player, was tempted by an offer from Tasmania in the off-season but eventually chose to stay in Victoria. His glovework is excellent – indeed, Saints captain Adam Crosthwaite puts Rowe ahead of Sebastian Gotch and Sam Harper – and his batting is coming along nicely. Rowe moved up the order to open in the second half of last season and finished with 411 runs at 31.6, with four half-centuries. A 500 run-plus season would represent good progress for the 20-year-old. Rowe lost the state rookie contract he had held for two years but no one doubts his ability to force his way back into the state set-up.
Connor Rutland, Carlton
Rutland crossed to the Blues in the off-season after playing 51 matches for Essendon. There’s much to like about him: he can hit the ball hard – as he showed last season when he blitzed 86 off 76 balls, with 5 sixes, against Footscray – he bowls at a good pace and he’s dynamic in the field. But consistency has eluded him; hopefully for Rutland it will come at Carlton under the coaching of Evan Gulbis, an all-rounder in the class the Blues recruit is aspiring to reach.
Zac Sleeman, Richmond
The Ormond product has been highly rated all through the under-age pathway. His wicketkeeping is as neat as a new house and he bats with panache and power. With Ryder Medal winner Scott Edwards carrying the gloves, Sleeman spent most of last season in the Second XI but he’s likely to receive more opportunities in 2021-22. He’s good enough to take them and play some exciting cricket for the Tigers.
Brodie Symons, Frankston Peninsula
The all-rounder carried a heavy load at the Heat last season, captaining a struggling side and leading the batting and bowling. He came in with 419 runs at 29.9 and 24 wickets at 23.3. Symons, 22, should flourish with the arrival of experienced trio James Nanopoulos, Jacques Augustin and Akshay Kodoth at Jubilee Park.
Dylan Tibballs, Richmond
Two announcements over winter gave an indication of the regard in which Tibballs is held by high-ups in Cricket Victoria. He was named in the state emerging performance squad and then the new Melbourne Stars Academy. Tibballs had some injury problems and played only a sprinkling of First XI cricket but he’s tall and left-arm and has pace. Took 3-39 off 10 overs against Melbourne University in Round 16 last season.
Isabel White, Box Hill
Tiny but talented, off-spinner White provided a highlight of last season with her bag of 6-16 against Dandenong at Shepley Oval. Not bad for a 15-year-old. In the same match she made 37 and took a catch. She’s in CV development squads and is ticketed for good things in cricket.
AND TWO MORE TO TRACK
Liam Blackford, Geelong
Twelve months ago the Geelong Advertiser called the left-hander “the most promising player to come through Geelong cricket since Aaron Finch’’. At age 16 Blackford scored 39 in his debut in Premier Cricket and hit a Second XI century a few rounds later.
Xander Buxton, Melbourne
Made more than 1200 runs last season across club, school and representative matches, including two centuries in the Under 16 series and a string of big scores for the Melbourne Second XI.
MORE PREMIER CRICKET
‘We’ve got the right list’: How DDCA scalp was proof for Bulls
Dandenong West captain Riley Siwes says the Bulls’ first Dandenong District Turf 1 win in almost six years was proof of what it can achieve this summer.
Panton Hill star’s career day leads DVCA action
A Panton Hill batter enjoyed a career best day with the bat while there were career firsts and impressive performances across the board. See all the DVCA talking points.