Who makes the cut in our Round 15 Premier Cricket Team of the Week

A pair of Victoria stars and a potential state debutant lead the Round 15 Premier Cricket Team of the Week. Check out the week’s best XI here.

Will Sutherland bowling for Prahran. Picture: Valeriu Campan

A pair of Victoria guns and a potential Big V debutant lead this week’s Premier Cricket Team of the Week.

Fergus O’Neill might have earned himself a one-day debut with an impressive all-round performance against Geelong.

Three Demons make the team despite the team going down to the Cats – strangely no Cats feature.

Elsewhere, Ian Holland helped keep Ringwood’s season alive, Will Sutherland helped keep Prahran in the finals hunt and Richmond’s Dylan Tibballs took a career-best six-for.

Along with the three Demons, a pair of Students and True Blues, a Tiger, Dragon, Panther, Saint and Ram make the cut.

Sam Harper in action for Melbourne Renegades.

Northcote’s Jonty Rushton batting. Picture: George Sal

1. SAM HARPER (Melbourne) (WK)

The Victorian wicketkeeper struck his first half-century with a well crafted 74 runs from 97 balls as his side fell five runs short of Geelong’s 220 runs. Harper’s 50 was just his second at Premier level in the past two seasons. He built a strong 77-partnership with Will Pucovski before his own dismissal at 2-140. His innings included six boundaries.

2. JONTY RUSHTON (Northcote)

The Dragons opener was at his attacking best on Saturday but couldn’t stop Northcote’s slide down the ladder in a 59-run loss to Melbourne University. Rushton hit four boundaries and a pair of sixes before falling to Peter Hatzoglou for 55 from just 60 balls. His second half-century of the season takes him to 286 runs from 12 starts at an average of 23.83 having moved to opener for the first time this season.

3. JOSH SLATER (Dandenong)

Slater’s innings of 61 runs from 97 balls helped push him above 350 runs for the season at 26.9 from 14 innings. He was just one of three Dandenong batters to reach double figures as his side went down by six wickets against ladder leader St Kilda. After coming to the crease with his side at 1-12, Slater shared a 101-run partnership with Brett Forsyth before Dandenong were restricted to 9-166 from 47 overs. It was Slater’s third half-century of the season.

Andrej Yaksender in action for Melbourne University. Picture: Hamish Blair

4. ANDREJ YAKSENDER (Melbourne University)

A second consecutive half-century, and fourth of the season, proved critical as Melbourne Uni ran out 59-run winners over Northcote. Yaksender played a patient innings as he finished with 52 runs from 71 balls before he was eventually dismissed. He helped to keep the scoreboard ticking over in the middle of the innings as the home side reached 7-215 from 45 overs. Yaksender also took a catch off the bowler of Peter Hatzoglou to dismiss Northcote opener and Team of the Week teammate Jonty Rushton.

5. ED NEWMAN (St Kilda)

Newman walked to the crease with St Kilda in some early trouble at 2-43 and left 53 runs later with a win over Dandenong all but sown up. The middle order batter’s 64-ball knock included six boundaries and a six and contributed to a 94-run partnership with Josh Manning. Newman now has three half-centuries and a ton so far this campaign lifting him to 438 runs at an average of 33.69 – second at St Kilda and 18th overall in Premier Cricket. A fine season with more to come.

6. IAN HOLLAND (Ringwood)

The Rams all-rounder was in everything on Saturday, leading his team to a 57-run win over Essendon and keeping the club’s season alive. Holland walked to the crease at 2-30 after two wickets fell in an over and departed 80 runs later for 26, helping build a defendable total. The wily veteran then turned it on with the ball, taking a season-best (and third best figures of his stellar career) 5-17, removing key Bombers trio skipper James Seymour, Isaac Willett and Michael Hill.

Ringwood’s Ian Holland. Picture: Andy Brownbill

7. WILL SUTHERLAND (Prahran)

Sutherland found himself right in the thick of the action to help guide Prahan to a crucial win over Fitzroy Doncaster by 45 runs. With the bat, he finished with a patient 31 runs from 72 balls after he came in with his side in trouble at 3-27. Then with the ball, he finished with 4-40 including the key wickets of Noah Korkolis and Lakshmn Shivakumar as the Lions attempted to build momentum in their run chase.

8. FERGUS O’NEILL (Melbourne)

Earned a call-up to the Victoria one-day squad with a superb all-round performance on Saturday, despite Melbourne going down to Geelong. O’Neill opening the bowling and finished with fine figures of 3-26 before turning his hand to the bat and finishing unbeaten on 35 to get the Demons within five runs of the rampaging Cats. The youngster’s haul takes him to 24 scalps on the season at 16.50, good enough for seventh in the competition. Helped steady the ship when Melbourne lost 6-14 and almost brought it home together with Keiran Elliott.

9. KIERAN ELLIOTT (Melbourne)

With Elliott’s performance combined with Harper and O’Neill you have to wonder how Melbourne ended up losing on Saturday. The Demons paceman did plenty of the damage with the ball, removing set batters Josh McDonald, Tom Jackson and Josh Riding, and finishing with 4-30. Then with his team in all sorts of trouble he very nearly saved the day with the bat. Melbourne lost 6-14 to bring Elliott to the crease and he hit a season-high 29 in a 43-run partnership with Fergus O’Neill.

Keiran Elliott in action for Melbourne. Picture: Chris Eastman

10. JANAK PRAKASH (Melbourne University)

Prakash produced his best figures of the season with 4-38 to keep his side in the hunt for a place in the top eight. His scalps included the in-form Mark Phelan who has been one of the competition’s best batters this season. Prakash was also able to clean up the Northcote tail after removing Seamus Keogh and Roby Lane to close out the game. He has now taken 15 wickets at an average of 24.4 this season.

11. DYLAN TIBBALLS (Richmond)

The Tigers paceman returned the week’s best bowling figures, a career-best 6-28, in the Tigers’ rain interrupted win over Camberwell. Named in Victoria’s emerging talent squad at the start of the season, Tibballs has blossomed with the new ball, taking 17 wickets at 24.76 in just his second season at Premier level. The youngster ripped through the Magpies top-order removing Ben Rowles in the second over of the innings before being on a hat-trick with the wickets of Ben Shields and Spencer Wood and removing Liam Fitzpatrick and Dhruv Redhu to trigger a 4-3 collapse.

12. BAILEY MOON (Prahran)

Moon has proven to be a consistent threat with the ball this season and it was no different on Saturday as he finished with 2-15. But he was equally as influential with the bat in his side’s win over Northcote as he finished with 33 runs from 41 balls after coming in at number eight.