Victorian Premier Cricket’s top performers selected in the Team of the Week
A Big Bash cult hero, Australia Under-19 young gun and an all-time run-machine headline the Premier Cricket Team of the Week.
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A string of special performances in Round 5 made selecting this week’s Team of the Week a tough assignment.
Tom Rogers and Campbell Kellaway were standouts with sterling centuries.
While Todd Murphy and Dom McGlinchey locked in spots with five-wicket hauls.
From there is was a harder task … we’ve gone with two spinners and the all-rounder role was harder to pick than a broken nose.
Check out the team below and tell us why we’re wrong.
1. TOM ROGERS (Ringwood)
Who else? The prolific opener delivered his second century this season, with 118 runs off 137 balls in the win over Geelong. Ringwood found itself in real strife at 5-81 but it’s little wonder it remained at ease with the knowledge Rogers was manning the crease, as he formed a damaging 150-run partnership Arjun Dhull (93). It was a pairing that Geelong coach Nick Speak admitted his side just couldn’t halt, despite pulling out all the tactics. Rogers leads the comp with 351 runs from four matches this season.
2. SHOBIT SINGH (Richmond)
The Richmond young gun fell agonisingly short of a maiden century with 98 not out in his side’s win over reigning premier, Prahran, with the match ending in bizarre circumstances. A spot in the Team of the Week is a small comfort. With Singh on 98 and his side needing eight to win, the winning runs all came in wides to leave the right-hander stranded. The rising star smacked three sixes and nine fours, having faced 113 deliveries, and surely it’s just a matter of time before he cracks the ton.
3. CAMPBELL KELLAWAY (Melbourne)
A second straight century and second straight appearance in our Team of the Week. The Melbourne young gun celebrated his selection in Australia’s Under-19 World Cup squad with a match-defining 102 from 120 balls. Every run proved critical too with Footscray falling just two runs short of victory in a last-ball thriller on Saturday. Kellaway now has the enviable tally of 284 runs at an average of 71 in four matches.
4. JACK LALOR (Northcote)
The Dragons young gun continues to impress and is getting ever closer to that maiden Premier Cricket century, Lalor’s unbeaten 94 against Greenvale on Saturday follows scores of 77, 86 and 40, plus a 54 in the T20 Super Slam. The runs flowed off his bat, his 86-ball stay included eight boundaries and a six. The knock lifts Lalor to second overall on the run-scorers charts with 297 at an average of 148.50. Usually, a key part of Northcote’s bowling attack, Lalor wasn’t required on Saturday as the Dragons claimed a comfortable 122-run win.
5. DYLAN KIGHT (Footscray) (WK)
Takes the wicketkeeping gloves after posting a well-made 51 from 51 balls against Melbourne on Saturday. Chasing the Demons’ 254, Kight kept the Dogs in the fight with 51-run and 49-run partnerships with Ash Armstrong (57) and Nathan Caulfield (19) respectively before falling to Fergus O’Neill. Took one catch behind the stumps, taking his total to six for the season.
6. JONTY RUSHTON (Northcote)
Opened the batting and bowled first change for the Dragons on Saturday but takes the No.6 all-rounder role in this week’s team. The former Victoria Under-19 all-rounder blasted a season-best 47 off 64 balls to get Northcote off to a strong start and then returned to finish the job, taking 4-23 to skittle Greenvale. Missed out on a hat-trick by one ball but three scalps in four balls ain’t too bad. Squeezes out Tom Smyth in a hotly contested battle for the all-rounder spot.
7. ARJUN DHULL (Ringwood)
Batted at No.7 and blasted 93 runs off 103 deliveries, helping rescue Ringwood’s innings as he combined with Tom Rogers for 150 runs. His entrance was exactly what the Rams needed following a sluggish start at 5-81, coach Sean Flynn says: “Arjun was just absolutely fantastic – scored quickly, took the pressure off Tom, and ran between the wickets well.”
8. ALEX GREGORY (Melbourne University)
The star all-rounder certainly put Fitzroy Doncaster to the sword in Saturday’s win, with 4-11 off 8.2 overs. Three of those four wickets came early, at the expense of Lions opener Lakshmn Shivakumar, skipper Ejaaz Alavi and current Melbourne Stars name, Sam Elliott, to make it a tough ask for the hosts. Not bad for someone who hadn’t played since Round 2.
9. TODD MURPHY (St Kilda)
The young spinner did a number on Frankston Peninsula’s top and middle orders with 5-32 off 10 overs in a season-best performance. Cleaned up opener Ryan Hammel before claiming Akshay Kodoth, Brodie Symons, captain James Nanopoulos and Tej Gandhi – certainly no mean feat. The 21-year-old is having some season with the ball, taking his wicket total to 14 so far – No.1 in the competition.
10. LIAM BOWE (Essendon)
Bombers coach Ash Cavigan is scratching his head wondering why Bowe isn’t in a Big Bash squad right now but also quite thankful he’s still at Windy Hill. The star spinner was too much for Camberwell’s line-up as he removed the Magpies’ top scorer Shubham Bhargave (54) before rolling through the middle order and tail end. Bowe finished with 4-33 and as 12 scalps in his last four outings, including two T20 Super Slam matches.
11. DOM McGLINCHEY (Geelong)
McGlinchey certainly did his part despite the Cats going down to Ringwood. The paceman ripped through the Rams top order, castling Josh Hartill and captain David King to be on a hat-trick and when Ian Holland fell it was 3-42. He returned to help clean up the tail and finished with the second best figures of the week, 5-46 – his fourth First XI five-wicket haul and first since 2019-20. Chipped in with the bat as well, scoring 22 off 13 balls.
12. TOM SMYTH (Carlton)
What a day it was for the all-rounder, knocking a season-best 58 not out off 54 balls to go with 3-30 off six overs in the Blues’ demolition job of Kingston Hawthorn. He’s been consistently dangerous with the ball to this point of the season, leading the Blues and sitting third in the competition with 11 wickets so far across his four matches, registering no fewer than three wickets in three of those appearances.
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