HAMILTON and District Cricket Association (HDCA) Hurricanes are ready for the annual Melbourne Country Week carnival after the selectors announced the squad that will contest division two of the competition next week.
The squad has had a complete clean out after last season with many of that squad either moving away from the association or not available for selection.
The selectors have wasted no time in choosing players from the Portland based clubs which amalgamated into the HDCA this summer, with seven players from these clubs called up.
The captain and coach of the squad is Rick Killey (Casterton District), who is a veteran of the competition, having made the trip for many years.
Killey will not only lead the team but also be the spin bowling option that every side needs in Melbourne where the wickets favour off-pace bowlers.
There are two vice-captains selected with Darryl Fry (St Andrew’s) and Hamish Withers (Tyrendarra) both offering Killey wisdom with field placements and selection during the week.
Fry is making his first trip to Melbourne as part of the HDCA rep team after he moved to Melbourne early in his career to play premier first grade with the North Melbourne (now Greenvale Kangaroos) club.
He will give the batting order some stabilisation if there is a top order collapse, while Withers will keep wickets as one of two keepers chosen, while also making late over runs at seven or eight in the batting order.
The opening batsmen will be Finn Saurine (Gorae-Portland) and Sam Wilson (Tyrendarra), who will look to hand the side solid, quick starts, and if they get going, the pressure will be taken off the middle order.
James Chapple (Portland Colts) is the second keeper selected and will share the gloves with Withers and bat at the vital number three spot, where the class player has plenty of time to play his shots while also having a very clean set of hands.
Killey is expected to bat at four with Fry coming to the wicket at five in the order, where he will control the pace of the innings through the middle overs.
Paul Procter (Portland Tigers) will bat at six with the goal of posting quick middle order runs, while Withers is expected to bat at seven where he can control the death overs.
Carey Megaw (Casterton District) is making his second trip to the carnival after a strong debut last season as an all-rounder batting at eight, who can turn a game with either bat or ball and is possibly the best fielder in the team.
Stephen O’Brien (Gorae-Portland) is used to batting in the top four for his club, but his 27 wickets with the new ball is what has caught the selectors’ attention while his batting is a bonus at nine.
The selectors have handed Killey a quality bowling attack with which to restrict the opposition, with Logan Gibbs (Casterton District), Jacob Edwards (Casterton District), Lachie Warburton (South Portland) and Oscar Newell (Hamilton North/Hamilton) (plus O’Brien and Wilson) all expected to be called upon to take their turn with the new ball.
They will also deliver the vital late overs where the opposition will be desperate to score as many runs as possible.
The Hurricanes play round one against Sunraysia at Carlton, round two against Bairnsdale at Coburg, round three against South West at Northcote and finally Cricket La Trobe Valley at Harry Trott Oval with the final (should they win through) to be held at either the Albert ground or Hoppers Crossing.
