COLLEGE Cricket Club veteran, Hamish Bailey, has capped off his 2021-22 cricket season with one of the highest honours in his illustrious career, named in the Victorian Country Cricket League’s (VCCL) Team of the Year.

The eight country-based regions select their own teams of the year (12 players per team) and these 96 players are submitted to the VCCL selectors for consideration for the overall team of the year.

The team contains two opening batsmen, four top or middle order batsmen, one all-rounder, one wicketkeeper and four bowlers (one of which must be a spin bowler).

“The VCCL Team of the Year is decided on the basis of total runs scored, wickets taken, the best averages and the most dismissals made by wicket keepers with all other variables are discounted,” VCCL chairman of selectors, Rob McIntyre said.

“This season’s nominations have again seen some outstanding performances in country cricket associations across the state.

“With most competitions playing seasons of all one-day matches due to the impact of the pandemic, the top batting performances came from those players who batted in the first four positions.

“The top bowlers were still able to take wickets numbering in the 30s or early 40s even though they were restricted to the number of overs they could bowl in each match of the one-day format,” McIntyre said.

The selection is one more accolade for the College middle order batsman, who has taken all before him since returning to the Hamilton and District Cricket Association (HDCA) after a spell in the Victorian Premier Cricket competition with Carlton.

Bailey has done it all within the HDCA including winning the PF Christie Medal as the best player in the Association, he has been a long-time captain of the association representative team, and finally he won his first ever A grade premiership.

Bailey posted 596 runs at an average of 74.50 for the Eagles, guiding the middle order all season long in pursuit of the Dundas Cup for the first time.

In his career with College, he has amassed over 7500 runs at an average of close to 40 as a top order batsman (with 10 centuries and 46 other scores over 50), but when he played with Carlton, he was an opening bowler who had a miserly economy rate.

“When I went to Melbourne, I was a batting wicket-keeper, but I had a massive growth spurt which caused my keeping to falter,” Bailey said.

“I had a season in fourth grade with Melbourne Uni. then I went to Carlton as a batting all-rounder and my bowling took off,” he said.

The selection came as a “shock and honour” for the veteran, especially when he perused the list of players who he shared selection with.

“It’s a shock and I’m very honoured to gain selection,” Bailey said.

“It’s a big personal accolade and to be selected to bat below someone like below Simon Dart, who I know of but not personally, is amazing and I’m in good company,” Bailey said.

As Bailey has aged, his form with the willow has become better and better.

“The chance to play the one-day format over the past couple of seasons has helped, as the players are getting more turns at batting,” Bailey said.

While the selection was a personal accolade for Bailey, he was more effusive about those players who had gone on to higher honours that he had coached at his beloved College.

“To see players like Grant Waldron, Callum Kanoniuk, Riley Alexander and Angus Boyd play Premier Cricket after them coming from here is a huge thrill and along with Solomon Mire, who came to us a 19-year-old from his home country, to go on and play in the world cup but also Test cricket for Zimbabwe,” Bailey said.

“This selection ranks up there with the PF Christie Medal and the Melbourne Country Week title we won back in 2008, but the premiership this year is special,” he said.

The VCCL Team of the Year process provides Victorian Country selectors with an opportunity to recognise those players who are in the higher echelon when it comes time to identify players who may be selected for the Australian Country Cricket Championships each season with the 2023 edition to be held in South Australia.

Bailey’s inclusion means he is the second HDCA player to be selected in the VCCL Team of the Year after former Macarthur player, Charlie Nield, made the cut in the 2016-17 side.

Former Western Waves Region Cricket Manager, Tony Caccaviello, from the Horsham Cricket Association was also selected as one of the opening bowlers.