Wallington will be looking to go one better than last season’s Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association A2 Grade runner-up placing as it prepares to host Collendina in the opening round on Saturday.
Billy Gravett is returning from the UK for his second season with the Wallabies although James Sood and Adam Southorn won’t make the trip this summer.
However, captain Mitch Sleeman believes the club has replaced the duo “like for like” with English pair Jack Davies (keeper-batter) and Max Roxburgh (all-rounder).
“Jack’s shown some very good glovework so far,” he said.
“He’s kept up the stumps to most of our bowlers, obviously with the exception of Billy (Gravett) and he’s looking pretty clean with the gloves at the start of the year.
“We didn’t know much about his batting ability, but he’s surprised everyone in the nets so I think he’ll probably bat in the top six.
“Max will probably bat mid to lower order. He’s probably more of a dasher where Jack’s probably a little bit more technique wise.”
Shaun Biemans returns after a stint in the lower grades with South Barwon to bolster an attack led by paceman Gravett, Colin Smith, Sleeman and Dane Wise-Graham.
“Both Colin and I are more than capable of bowling into the wind,” Sleeman said.
“So whether we pick Shaun to be first-change to bowl with Billy or whether he wants to have the new rock and learn to bowl into the wind, that’s a discussion I’ll need to have before the season starts.”
Henry McIntosh, Sven Burluraux, Wise-Graham and recruit Richard Faust will be the mainstays at the top of the batting order.
“The boys are pretty excited,” Sleeman said.
“We’ve had a couple of practice matches against Newcomb (& District), where we put a mixture of the A and the B grade guys together, and had a pretty good hit out against Bell Post Hill, which pretty much the whole A grade squad was available for.”
Meanwhile the club rallied around coach Matt Sampson-Barnes with a fundraiser practice match against Bell Post Hill on September 26.
Sampson-Barnes has been battling necrotising fasciitis (NF), a rare and serious bacterial infection that came on without warning and has undergone 43 surgeries and spent more than 100 days in hospital.
To help Matt, his wife Jess and children Billie and Alby with soaring medical bills, head to gofundme.com/f/matt-jess-family-support
