Local cricket will waste no time in getting started with Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association to begin its season this Saturday.
Last season’s A1 Grade premiers Armstrong Creek will host Anglesea on the opening day on October 4.
The Titans have lost the best batter in the competition, Clay Mulgrew, to South Barwon while keeper Aaron Morgan and left-arm swing bowler Jason Robertson have joined Newcomb & District.
Armstrong Creek will welcome hard-hitting batter Nikhil Kapoor from Tasmania while Daniel Maclean will again be at the helm.
Runners-up Barwon Heads have lured former players Lewy Hyland and Sam Schaller back to RT Fuller Oval.
Anglesea has lost Will and Ollie Huby and star spinner Tom Beasley to Grovedale, but gun bat Sam Weight returns from a stint in Sydney and Kai Powers has been enticed from Jan Juc.
Jan Juc will be led by Gareth Yelland while newly promoted Inverleigh has retained the nucleus of a strong squad.
Drysdale welcomes back 2023-24 premiership coach Robert Cutajar while batting all-rounder Owen Dunn will be a Hawk in 2025-26.
Barrabool will be strengthened by the return of star bat Brydon Barnett after a year in the UK and Aaron Pickering.
Queenscliff’s bowling attack has been boosted by the recruitments of quick Dan Hawker and left-armer Max Minney. Hayden Illingworth will be skipper.
In A2 Grade, Ocean Grove will welcome all-rounder Connor Weidemann, batter Campbell Snookes and seamer Mitch Vandermeer.
Wallington has lost Englishmen Adam Southorn and James Sood, but have replaced them with Max Roxburgh and keeper-bat Jack Davies while paceman Billy Gravett has returned from the UK.
Collendina remained quiet on the recruiting front, but any side with Corey Walter, Stan Grazotis and Nathan Frye will be hard to beat.
Winchelsea has recruited strongly with Shane Scott coming from the UK,
Angus Leigh returns after stints at South Barwon and Apollo Bay and batter
Tharindu Bandara from Casey Cardinia. Lakshay Sharotri will add stability to the batting order and Jarrod Groves has crossed from Alvie where he made 1465 runs and took 71 wickets across two seasons. Shane Currie took 60 wickets across two seasons in Colac and District Cricket Association in another coup.
Portarlington has picked up Jack Baldi from Geelong.
St Leonards has been busy with Drysdale duo Shane Cutajar and Nick Hallam lured to Len Trewin Reserve along with Jaco Stewart from South Africa, fast bowler Nisal Deelaka and Liam and Chris Hassan to join brother Paul. The club also announced the signing of quickie Seb Harrison from England and hard-hitting opener Troy Griffin returns.
Lachie Campbell has made the move to Surf Coast from St Leonards as has
Brayden Lieschke, a left-arm bowler who won eight consecutive flags with Rand in Albury-Wodonga.
Newcomb will be led by former Modewarre spinner Dylan Ryan captain along with Shane Healey.
Jordan Hickey had a year off last season and arrives at Ervin Reserve from Newcomb & District and spinner from Moddewarre and Thisum Subasinghe strengthens the batting.
