Ben Grinter signs with Bell Park after grand final loss for Jan Juc

A GCA club has picked up one of the BPCA’s most prolific runscorers for next season, but his old club has pulled off a massive coup to replace him.

When he straps on the pads for his first pre-season hit of next season, star cricketer Ben Grinter will not be a member of Jan Juc.

The first drop, who scored 564 runs at an average of 43.38 for Jan Juc in 2021-22, signed with GCA2 club Bell Park for the next step of his next cricketing journey.

Grinter, who has made 8157 run at an average of 41.83 in 225 career matches, said he was excited for a new challenge in Geelong’s cricket landscape.

“I’ve spent eight seasons at Jan Juc and I’m really looking forward to a change,” said Grinter, just days after Jan Juc’s heart-breaking A1 Grand Final loss to Anglesea.

Ben Grinter

“The facilities are great, the club’s looking to improve on their strong standings over the past four or five years, and I’m looking forward to playing a part in getting them back up the top.”

The allure of turf cricket was enough to get Grinter’s signature, with the move to the GCA the first time he will be off synthetic pitches since 2014.

Grinter said he was looking forward to the opportunity of testing his ability on different surfaces.

“Turf will always have its challenges, no two wickets are ever going to be the same, while hard wickets are concrete with some syntho on top and they all play the same,” he said.

“It’s been a while, but hopefully I can adjust to the conditions and the certain wickets as the season goes on.

“It’s just a new challenge to get back on turf and try to improve my game a bit, I’m 31 and I probably don’t fully understand where my game is at just yet, I don’t think you really know until you’re in your mid 30s.”

President Rodney Brown said the Dragons were chasing Grinter’s signature for the past 12 months.

“We’ve been looking to fill a spot in our batting line up for a while now,” Brown said.

“Batters don’t grow on trees, and Ben has an outstanding reputation as a batter on synthetic wickets, so we’re excited to see him make the move to turf.

He’s got a lot of qualities that we want from a player in our side.”

The addition of Grinter is a major coup for the Dragons, who are determined to build in GCA2 next season and contending for a premiership.

Bell Park is hopeful of adding more talent in the coming weeks as it begins a new era following Michael Lymer’s decision to step down as coach after six seasons at the helm.

Lymer will continue on as a player next season, with the club set to announce a new mentor.

Coach coup after grand-final heartbreak

After multiple years of consecutive heartbreak in losing grand finals, a dominant Jan Juc has made a switch at the top.

The Sharks have landed a key signing for the 2022-23 season, with former Grovedale star and assistant coach Nick Hyden moving across in a captain-coach role.

Cricket: ex-Grovedale batsman Nick Hyden. Picture: Mark Wilson

Hyden said he was excited to make the transition to a more coaching-focused role.

“I definitely intend on playing, I think I’ve still got a few good years left in me,” he said.

“But I’ve always had an interest in coaching, the transition is there once my playing days are over.

“Being able to still be connected to the sport and have an interest is there, because you’re a long-time retired.”

Hyden will lead a side that has recently lost its top batter in Ben Grinter, who moved to play for Bell Park in the Geelong Cricket Association.

He said he hoped to be the missing piece to the Jan Juc puzzle, after falling to Anglesea in the grand final.

“They’ve been a relatively strong side for a number of years without ever getting over the final hurdle,” he said.

“Hopefully I can bring something to the group that’ll help us go one step further.”

Hyden said he wanted to bring a fresh style to Jan Juc’s junior program, with an incentive to watch young talent bloom.

“I also really want to help bring some of the juniors along, there’s a certain reward when you see someone you coached from a young age really progress through to senior cricket,” he said.

“I’ve been at a number of different clubs through my cricket journey and seen a lot of different styles of coaching.

“Having a mix of all these different styles will hold me in good stead to help these younger kids grow as cricketers.”

Originally published as Ben Grinter signs with Bell Park after grand final loss for Jan Juc