SOUTH West Cricket's team of the year is a star-studded line-up in more ways than many would have thought. The team was obviously assembled for its bowling and batting exploits but we couldn't help but notice some of the names were already famous. Joint cricketer of the year Simon Baker did well to mix his heavy run-scoring for Bookaar with his filming commitments as star of the hit Nine Network drama The Mentalist. Among a host of other recognisable sporting names, David Murphy, who apart from keeping and playing a leading role as a batsman with Pomborneit, used to be a leading Sydney Swans footballer who now works as a special comments man on ABC radio.

SOUTH West Cricket officials are no doubt flicking through the history pages and those of other associations across the state trying to find out how rare it is for a tie in both the division one and division two cricketer of the year awards. Ties aren't all that uncommon, but in two out of three grades? What were the odds of Baker and Tim Keane splitting the division one award and Lucas and Brown sharing division two?

ALLANSFORD junior cricketer Hugh McCluggage has been nominated to take part in the Victorian primary school cricket program. Hugh will follow in the footsteps of other outstanding juniors Matthew Gunther (Warrnambool) and Zack Merrett (Cobden) in being nominated. Hamilton's Angus Boyd and West Wimmera's Daniel Kerber were also nominated from the Western Waves region while Casterton's Clare Nolte was the only girl picked. Following trials across the south-west region a southern squad has been selected to take part in next season's Western Waves under 13 talent squad. A few of the players have also been added to the under 14 squad as under-age players and do not need to attend the under 13 program in September. The South squad is Nick King , Hugh McLuggage, Aiden Payne (under 14), Jack Ansell, Harrison Bond, Ben Fleming, Liam Antonio, Shannon Beks, Brad Hunt and Travis Parsons (Warrnambool), Kallan Melican, Lewis Kew, Liam Brown (Grassmere), Tyler Fowler, Lachie Wareham, Henry Green (South West) and Kegan Bilson and Jayden Romein (Portland).