Anglesea’s Dale Kerr took 84 more wickets than his nearest rival over the past 10 BPCA seasons
A multiple premiership-winning quick stands head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to the best with the ball in the Bellarine. See who made the Top 20 list.
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They are the best performing BPCA bowlers of the past 10 seasons through sheer weight of wickets.
This masthead has crunched the official Cricket Australia numbers from season 2014-15 to 23-24 to find out who stands above the rest in the Bellarine with the ball.
And one Anglesea quick has come out on top, with nearly 300 poles and the only man from the past 10 seasons to breach the 200-wicket barrier.
We spoke to the league’s media officer Mark Heenan about some of the players who made the list, with seven all-rounders making the batting and bowling lists.
20. Michael Fallon
Club: Barwon Heads
Matches: 51
Wickets: 89
Runs conceded: 1700
Average: 19.1
Best bowling: 8-60 in 19-20
Best season: 30 wickets in 19-20
Five-wicket hauls: Four
10-wicket hauls: 0
Took a stunning 8-60 for the Seagulls to rout Ocean Grove for 180 at Shell Rd Reserve in December, 2019.
Fallon was third on the bowling aggregate that season with 30 wickets at just 13.53.
19. Andrew Higgins
Club: Collendina
Matches: 47
Wickets: 89
Runs conceded: 1406
Average: 15.7
Best bowling: 5-23 in 16-17
Best season: 26 wickets in 16-17
Five-wicket hauls: Three
10-wicket hauls: 0
Third in the bowling aggregate of 16-17 with 26 wickets at 15.31, Higgins took a stunning 5-23 off 15 overs in February of that season against Queenscliff.
18. Nathan Findlay
Club: Barrabool
Matches: 81
Wickets: 91
Runs conceded: 2119
Average: 23.2
Best bowling: 7-33 in 19-20
Best season: 25 wickets in 18-19
Five-wicket hauls: Two
10-wicket hauls: 0
Findlay was a consistent wicket collector for the Bulls, with a standout performance in season 19-20.
He would close out the season with 7-33 off 22.5 overs against Ocean Grove in a 36-run win to finish in the top 10 of the bowling aggregate in A1.
17. Lindon Giuffrida
Club: Ocean Grove
Matches: 84
Wickets: 92
Runs conceded: 2017
Average: 21.9
Best bowling: 4-49 in 15-16
Best season: 18 wickets in 21-22
Five-wicket hauls: 0
10-wicket hauls: 0
Never took huge bags of wickets but the Grubbers’ Giuffrida three times took 15 wickets or more in a season and only once claimed less than 10 in an individual campaign.
16. Finn Peel
Club: Barrabool
Matches: 79
Wickets: 97
Runs conceded: 2654
Average: 27.3
Best bowling: 7-74 in 18-19
Best season: 23 wickets in 18-19
Five-wicket hauls: Three
10-wicket hauls: 0
Before shifting to Bannockburn, Peel was a consistent wicket taker for the Bulls with the season of 18-19 his absolute best to finish seventh in the bowling aggregate.
Took 7-74 that year to close out the season against Drysdale as the Hawks were skittled for 186 at home.
Three times took 15 wickets or more in a season.
15. Iva Priest
Club: Jan Juc
Matches: 95
Wickets: 98
Runs conceded: 2106
Average: 21.4
Best bowling: 5-15 in 18-19
Best season: 26 wickets in 19-20
Five-wicket hauls: Three
10-wicket hauls: 0
A Sharks bowler who regularly chipped in with poles, four times taking more than 15 wickets or more in an individual campaign.
One of seven all-rounders to qualify for both the batting and bowling list.
14. Tony Hanafin
Club: Queenscliff
Matches: 77
Wickets: 108
Runs conceded: 2123
Average: 19.6
Best bowling: 5-11 in 14-15
Best season: 23 wickets in 14-15
Five-wicket hauls: One
10-wicket hauls: 0
Mr Consistent who prided himself on keeping things tight.
Three times taking 18 wickets or more in a season, Hanafin’s best of the 10-season era was 5-11 off 13.5 overs against Drysdale in a losing cause.
Hanafin would finish sixth in the bowling aggregate that year, with back-to-back four wicket hauls to finish things off.
13. Paul McGrath
Club: Portarlington
Matches: 60
Wickets: 110
Runs conceded: 1968
Average: 17.8
Best bowling: 5-22 in 17-18
Best season: 28 wickets in 17-18
Five-wicket hauls: Four
10-wicket hauls: 0
McGrath, who also made the top 20 batters list of the decade, five times took 15 wickets or more in a season.
Was third in the bowling aggregate in 17-18 with 28 wickets at 13.11, only recording one wicketless match.
12. Joseph Lynch
Club: Anglesea
Matches: 76
Wickets: 111
Runs conceded: 1995
Average: 17.9
Best bowling: 4-11 in 20-21
Best season: 28 wickets in 19-20
Five-wicket hauls: 0
10-wicket hauls: 0
Doing the bulk of the damage in just five seasons, Joseph was a key player in the Roos’ push for premierships.
His best individual season was in 19-20 with 28 wickets at 14.36, going wicketless in just two games.
11. Paul Jubber
Club: Ocean Grove
Matches: 104
Wickets: 112
Runs conceded: 2169
Average: 19.3
Best bowling: 4-21 in 18-19
Best season: 21 wickets at 19-20
Five-wicket hauls: 0
10-wicket hauls: 0
Like Paul McGrath, Sam Schaller, Iva Priest, Kane Pickering, Brett Venables and Dale Kerr, Jubber made the list with both his batting and bowling exploits.
Took 15 wickets or more in a season on four occasions.
10. Jye Hearps
Club: Collendina
Matches: 66
Wickets: 117
Runs conceded: 2142
Average: 18.3
Best bowling: 6-74 in 19-20
Best season: 23 wickets in 15-16
Five-wicket hauls: Four
10-wicket hauls: 0
Across seven seasons at the Snake Pit, Hearps was one of Collendina’s leading bowlers.
Took the bulk of his wickets in 19-20 with a bag of 6-74 off 28 overs against Queenscliff in a losing cause.
9. Daniel Roddis
Club: Ocean Grove
Matches: 102
Wickets: 131
Runs conceded: 2921
Average: 22.2
Best bowling: 8-37 in 15-16
Best season: 27 wickets in 17-18
Five-wicket hauls: Four
10-wicket hauls: 0
Had an absolute standout season in 17-18 with 27 wickets at 16.1 apiece to finish fourth in the bowling aggregate — forming a strong combo with Jackson Kent who also contributed 25 wickets at 12.9 that year.
The Grubbers were beaten in a grand final that year by the Roos.
8. Charlie Lamb
Club: Collendina
Matches: 74
Wickets: 151
Runs conceded: 2100
Average: 13.9
Best bowling: 7-38 in 17-18
Best season: 36 wickets in 14-15
Five-wicket hauls: Nine
10-wicket hauls: One
Lamb would produce the ninth best individual bowling performance in a season when he took 36 wickets at just 7.22 apiece.
Playing just nine games that year, Lamb snared four five-wicket hauls.
Lamb is one of three players on the list to take a 10-wicket haul, including 7-38 against Queenscliff.
In that entire match, Lamb would take 10-72 off 44 overs.
7. Dylan Taylor
Club: Anglesea
Matches: 96
Wickets: 153
Runs conceded: 2227
Average: 14.5
Best bowling: 5-15 in 23-24
Best season: 28 wickets in 22-23
Five-wicket hauls: Four
10-wicket hauls: 0
Has enjoyed some of his best work in recent seasons, with a top haul of the era (5-15 off nine overs) against Barrabool last summer.
The previous season, Taylor took 28 wickets at just 10.25 apiece to finish third in the bowling aggregate, supported by Darcy Elliott (23 at 14.96) in a premiership-winning year.
“The leader of the Anglesea bowling attack after the departure of Dale Kerr to North Geelong. Line and length and his ability to move the ball and beat the bat is his standout strength,” Heenan said.
6. Kane Pickering
Club: Barrabool
Matches: 118
Wickets: 156
Runs conceded: 3277
Average: 21
Best bowling: 5-37 in 17-18
Best season: 25 wickets in 14-15
Five-wicket hauls: Five
10-wicket hauls: 0
Another all-rounder to make both lists as a batter and bowler, Pickering produced three seasons of 20 wickets or more.
Simply one of Barrabool’s very best of the last 10 seasons.
5. Brett Venables
Club: Anglesea
Matches: 126
Wickets: 163
Runs conceded: 2867
Average: 17.5
Best bowling: 5-10 in 15-16
Best season: 22 wickets in 18-19
Five-wicket hauls: Four
10-wicket hauls: 0
One of seven all-rounders to make both the batting and bowling lists, Venables would have a day out in January, 2016 taking 5-10 off 15 overs as the Roos rolled Ocean Grove for just 130 in a big win.
4. Nicky Smith
Club: Jan Juc
Matches: 73
Wickets: 166
Runs conceded: 2399
Average: 14.4
Best bowling: 6-10 in 16-17
Best season: 33 wickets in 18-19
Five-wicket hauls: Six
10-wicket hauls: Two
Easily one of the most dominant bowlers of the past 10 top tier seasons, Smith had a day out against Queenscliff in the season of 16-17 with 6-10 off 14 overs.
Smith would finish in second spot in the bowling aggregate that year with 33 wickets — achieving the feat twice in three years.
One of three bowlers to take a 10-wicket haul over the era.
“Important cog in the pace bowling ranks for Jan Juc. Due to the nature of his work outside of cricket, was only available for four matches in 2023-24 and only bowled in six matches in 22-23,” Heenan said.
“Is a useful sub in two-day cricket,”
3. Jordan Graham
Club: Jan Juc
Matches: 102
Wickets: 184
Runs conceded: 3031
Average: 16.4
Best bowling: 5-14 in 18-19
Best season: 34 wickets in 22-23
Five-wicket hauls: Seven
10-wicket hauls: 0
A tremendous bowler for the Sharks, Graham would produce three seasons of 30 wickets or more, and never failed to hit double figures during a campaign.
“Forms a key part of the Jan Juc bowling engine room and can bowl long marathon stints in two-day cricket. Has an impressive list of five-wicket hauls,” Heenan said.
2. Sam Schaller
Club: Barwon Heads
Matches: 82
Wickets: 192
Runs conceded: 2671
Average: 13.9
Best bowling: 5-15 in 15-16
Best season: 37 wickets in 14-15
Five-wicket hauls: Seven
10-wicket hauls: 0
Like six others, Schaller finds himself in the top 20 across batting and bowling over the past 10 seasons in the BPCA’s top flight.
With six seasons of 24 wickets or more, Schaller has been a dominant force for the Seagulls over the era.
His season’s best of 37 wickets in 14-15 came at an average of just 11.2.
“His economy rate and his ratio of bowling overs to maidens is quite remarkable,” Heenan said.
“Absolute key in Barwon Heads’ A Grade premiership success over the last 10 years and promotion from the A2 to A1 competition.”
1. Dale Kerr
Club: Anglesea
Matches: 102
Wickets: 276
Average: 10.8
Runs conceded: 2997
Best bowling: 8-42 in 17-18
Best season: 58 wickets in 17-18
Five-wicket hauls: 17
10-wicket hauls: Two
Head and shoulders above the rest by more than 80 wickets, Kerr has been the best bowler in the BPCA’s top grade over the past 10 seasons.
Incredibly, Kerr has produced the top four individual seasons with the ball, taking 189 wickets at an average of 9.1
Overall, Kerr has pouched 276 wickets an average of 10.8
“Firebrand, speedster and intimidating force for any opposition team that faces an Anglesea attack,” Heenan said.
“In more recent years he and teammate and Anglesea run machine Ned Cooper have joined North Geelong in the Geelong Cricket Association.”
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