WARRNAMBOOL’S top cricket prospects will be tested against the state’s best in a one-off exhibition match with a prominent Victorian Premier Cricket identity.
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Talent from the Greenvale Kangaroos Cricket Club – in Melbourne’s north – will play against a Warrnambool and District Cricket Association (WDCA) XI at the Mack Oval on Saturday.
Originally scheduled for the turf wicket at Jetty Flat, the match was shifted to the hard wicket due to recent downpours.
The Standard understands the Melbourne club will also conduct a practice match against Russell’s Creek on Sunday before heading back to the state capital.
Prominent south-west batsman Cameron Williams, who has been handed captaincy duties for Russell’s Creek’s division one side, was crucial in bringing Greenvale to the region.
Williams, formerly of the Essendon Cricket Club, said the hit-out was a chance for south-west players to acquire a taste of representative cricket before this season’s Melbourne Country Week.
“A guy called Jack Rhodes who I played with at Essendon contacted me and said he’d like to come down to play a practice match, so we’ve pulled together a league side,” he said.
“He said they wanted to come down to do a pre-season camp for them to get to know each other as mates a little bit more. Melbourne cricket is a bit different to country cricket like that.”
Russell’s Creek will have the largest representation of any WDCA club in the match, with Williams, Jimmy Elford, Josh Campbell, Nathan Divall, Paul Walker and Blake Evans lining up in the game.
Geoff Williams, Brett Eldridge and Kyle Humphries (Nestles) will also take part, while Bill Quinlivan and Nathan Murphy will represent Brierly Christ Church.
Rounding out the squad is Nick Butters and Hank Schlaghecke (Woodford), Josh Stapleton (Merrivale), Jason Mungean (Nirranda) and Harry Bond (Allansford).
Williams said while Greenvale finished last overall in Victorian Premier Cricket last season, the club boasted a squad with Victoria Metro stars and former state representatives.
On the local front, he said the WDCA’s 2016/17 season was looming as a competition loaded with quality players.
“But Warrnambool cricket is going really well. We want to make things like the Greenvale visit a success because it is a stepping stone for us,” he said.
“If there are Warrnambool people who want to play in premier cricket they can play in games like this, and get their names out there. If clubs like Greenvale are looking for top up players, they will know of guys here that way.”
The exhibition match will begin at 11am.
