FORMER Dennington cricketer Matt Gunther will attempt to help Geelong claim victory in its two Victorian Premier Cricket Twenty20 fixtures at Warrnambool's Reid Oval on Saturday.
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The Cats have recalled Gunther for their first XI matches against Prahran and Essendon, which are part of the VPC Bush Bash weekend.
Footscray-Edgewater will also make the trip to the south-west. Matches are at Reid Oval and Avery's Paddock in Port Fairy.
Gunther is the sole cricketer with south-west roots in action during Bush Bash matches in the region.
Former Nestles captain Cam Williams missed selection for Essendon's first XI and will not get the chance to return to his old stomping ground.
Jake Haberfield, a former Nirranda paceman now at Footscray-Edgewater, is another notable omission.
Haberfield is part of the 13-man Victoria Bushrangers squad for a Sheffield Shield clash against Queensland at the Gabba, starting on Sunday, which takes priority.
State stars Aaron Finch (Geelong) and David Hussey (Prahran) are also in the Bushrangers' squad, robbing the Bush Bash of some explosive talent.
But there are plenty of highly rated cricketers who will be in action at the two grounds.
One-time Test player Bryce McGain and former England international Dimitri Mascarenhas headline the Prahran squad.
Former Zimbabwe under 19 representative Solomon Mire is fresh from an unbeaten century for Essendon last weekend while Bushrangers-listed paceman Louis Cameron will also play for the Bombers.
Dean Russ and Dylan Kight are the in-form batsman at Footscray-Edgewater.
And hard-hitting batsman Hayden Butterworth and paceman Jake Reed are the ones to watch at Geelong.
Reed was a member of the Colac and District football side which beat Warrnambool and District in an interleague clash at Reid Oval in May but will return six months on in whites with a cricket ball in hand.
Matches:
11am: Essendon v Footscray-Edgewater, Avery's Paddock
11am: Prahran v Geelong, Reid Oval
3pm Footscray-Edgewater v Prahran, Avery's Paddock
3pm: Geelong v Essendon, Reid Oval
Teams:
ESSENDON
MacRae (c), Mire, Shellie, Ayre, Siaka, Stewart, Perera, McMinn, Doric, Andree, Cameron.
GEELONG
Butterworth (c), M Condy, Gunther, A Hodgson, Ibbs, McDonald, McPhee, Muller, Reed, Sawas, Vines, Williams.
FOOTSCRAY EDGEWATER
Russ (c), Kight, Dean, Dissanayaka, M Hill, M Winter-Irving, Gautum, H Winter-Irving, Nalesnyik, Dredge, M Kelly.
PRAHRAN
Coates (c), Bull, Hutton, Mascarenhas, McGain, McNally, Miller, Morrey, Murphy, Schlittler, S Singh.