Victorian Premier Cricket Team of the Week Round 2: Stepien, Holland
There were no shortage of standout performances in Round 2 of Premier Cricket, with 10 clubs represented in our best team.
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There were countless eye-catching efforts in Round 2 of Premier Cricket, headlined by a brutal knock from a Carlton gun who many think should be getting a chance at a higher level.
The selection panel at Leader Community News has come together and picked the Team of the Week in Victoria’s pre-eminent cricket competition.
Carlton (three) have multiple players in the side, while Ringwood, Melbourne, Kingston Hawthorn, Richmond, St Kilda, Frankston Peninsula, Northcote, Melbourne University and Greenvale Kangaroos also feature, with the best XI selected plus a 12th man.
Brayden Stepien (Carlton)
The Carlton wicketkeeper-batsman blasted an unbeaten 157 from 113 balls to steer his team to a seven-wicket win over Geelong, with the typically belligerent hand featuring 16 boundaries and five sixes. He keeps piling on the runs in quick time, leading many to wonder why he doesn’t have a Big Bash League contract after making two appearances for Melbourne Renegades last season.
Jake Fraser-McGurk (Richmond)
Tigers captain Dominic Matarazzo rated Fraser-McGurk brilliant 99 from 86 balls against Casey-South Melbourne as his best innings for the club. On a tricky wicket at Central Reserve, the Victoria batsman looked a class above before he was run out just one run short of his maiden Premier Cricket century.
Jonathan Merlo (St Kilda)
Last week it was Adam Crosthwaite, and on Saturday Merlo was the century hero for St Kilda. The Victoria all-rounder plundered 123 not out against Fitzroy Doncaster, including eight fours and a pair of sixes, as he combined with state captain Peter Handscomb for a 112-run partnership for the third wicket. It was Merlo’s highest ever Premier Cricket score, surpassing his 121 against Prahran in last season’s elimination final.
Abhishek Jain (Kingston Hawthorn)
The Hawks have found one here. Walking to the crease at 4-75, there was a bit of pressure on Jain’s shoulders. He proceeded to smash the Frankston Peninsula attack to all parts, launching 13 fours and eight sixes. Jain was finally dismissed for 148 off 107 balls and had taken Kingston-Hawthorn to an imposing 283. He finished with 0-39 from six overs with the ball as the Heat were limited to 5-182.
Ian Holland (Ringwood)
The gun all-rounder helped lift his side to a 2-0 start with a rousing win over the Camberwell Magpies, delivering a superb bowling effort to collect 5-20 from nine overs. Holland dismissed star batsman Simon Hill for 10 in the fourth over, followed by the scalp of all-rounder Tom Russ (2) in the eighth. But it was in the space of three balls in the 10th over where he removed middle-order pair James Wiseman and Adit Pawha for ducks before removing Chris Briddle without scoring.
Evan Gulbis (Carlton)
The former state all-rounder and Blues captain-coach has had a quiet start to the season with the bat, but he is firing on all cylinders with the ball. Gulbis took his season tally to nine wickets with a haul of 5-47 in the win against Geelong.
Brodie Symons (Frankston Peninsula)
The Heat skipper stood up in his side’s heavy loss to Kingston Hawthorn, belting 70 off 76 deliveries including five fours and three sixes, before he was dismissed by Prateek Patil. But it wasn’t just at the crease where the captain lifted his side as he put an end to Abhishek Jain’s fine innings of 148 and removed wicketkeeper Joel Lewis for 45 to finish 2-67.
Jack Craig (Melbourne)
The Melbourne recruit has already proved his worth, playing a critical role in the Demons’ win over Dandenong. First with the ball, castling the dangerous Brett Forsyth before removing Aaron Fernando just as he was looking dangerous. The boy from Wodonga Bulldogs then rescued Melbourne with the bat, cracking a run-a-ball 49 to drag his team over the line after arriving at the crease at 5-96 with 106 runs still needed for victory.
Jonty Rushton (Northcote)
The Northcote paceman copped a ball in the neck at training and was forced to miss Round 1. He took out all his frustration on the Prahran top order on Saturday, helping reduce the True Blues to 4-45. Rushton returned to claim two big wickets at the death to keep Prahran’s score under 200 and finished with figures of 4-38 from nine overs.
Mark Stafford (Melbourne University)
After copping some harsh treatment from Carlton’s batsmen in the season opener, Stafford returned to form on Saturday as the Students toppled Footscray. The paceman grabbed 4-19 from 8.3 immaculate overs, removing top-order pair Travis Dean and Dylan Brasher before dismissing Siddhesh Dixit and Jordan Buckingham.
Eddy O’Sullivan (Carlton)
The left-arm spinner is a constant threat and a fine bowler in the one-day format. O’Sullivan claimed the big wickets of opposition skipper Eamonn Vines (24) and Tom Jackson (65) against Geelong as he returned 3-53 from 10 overs.
Matthew Harrison (Greenvale Kangaroos)
The former Prahran and Geelong captain has made a smooth transition back into the Premier Cricket ranks after a five-year absence. The Greenvale Kangaroos recruit will provide some much-needed backbone this season and showcased all of his experience and patience on Saturday against Essendon’s attack, finishing with 63 from 109 balls in the Kangaroos loss to be named 12th man in our side.
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