RUSSELLS Creek’s bid for Warrnambool and District Cricket Association success has suffered a major blow three rounds out from finals.
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Teenage tearaway Liam Brown will miss the rest of the home-and-away campaign due to school commitments with Melbourne Grammar.
Brown has taken 13 wickets at 24.77 for Creek in division one this season, the second-highest at the club behind Vincent Smith with 18.
He has secured a sports scholarship for the prestigious school, one of 11 which make up the group of Associated Public Schools (APS). Creek captain Nathan Divall said he hoped Brown would be available to play in finals, should the club finish in the Merri conference top two.
“School goes back this week. He’s got a sports scholarship to one of the fairly high-profile schools in Melbourne. He will be playing for them,” Divall said.
“If we make finals, he will hopefully be back for them. We’ve got three winnable games coming up. If we can win those we’re confident of making finals.
“We lack a bit of bowling. Losing Boydy (Ben Boyd) didn’t help. The guys who have taken up the slack have done really well.
“Liam and Vinnie have had pretty good years. They’ve got 15 to 20 wickets each. But we’re still a bit skinny on the bowling.”
Divall said losing Brown would be a blow. However, he was pleased the paceman would continue to test himself in a decent competition.
“As a club we do aim to get people to play higher-level cricket. We want them to play at the highest level they can,” he said.
“If that means moving away from the region, we’re all for that. We want them to achieve the best they can. All we hope is if it doesn’t work out, they come back.” He said selectors would turn to the seconds to find a replacement.
“Our division two team has been travelling pretty well,” he said.
“I think they got rolled last game but they were sitting on top. There are a couple of young fellas in that team who have bowled well at times,” he said. “Brad Hunt has played a game in the ones this year. I’m obviously not a selector but he’d be one putting his hand up.
“Jack Ansell has bowled pretty well the last month too.
“He had some work-related commitments before Christmas but his last month has been pretty good.
“As a group, they’ve shared their wickets around which is what we’ve had to do in the ones.”
Creek sits third on a heavily congested Merri conference ladder with 18 points.
Its next assignment is Port Fairy in a two-day match which starts tomorrow.
Woodford (36) and Port Fairy (22) occupy the finals spots.
West Warrnambool, Wesley-CBC and East Warrnambool-YCW also have 18 points.