By Joseph Ibic
Exciting developments have come out of Point Cook Centrals after they announced a raft of signings for the upcoming Victorian Turf Cricket Association Roy Picone Shield season.
The recruits have been signed to strengthen the playing group in both an on field and off field capacity.
Vice-president Brett Talbot has described them as being really good cricketers and really good people that can assist with the growth of the junior program as well as the senior side.
Local recruits Max Rouvray, Kade Clowes and Max Pritchard have all made the switch to Point Cook Centrals from other clubs in the area.
Pritchard will be returning to the club after stints with Yarraville and Prahran, after going through the junior program at the Sharks.
Talbot said Pritchard got exposure to better quality cricket, and returns as a very strong bowler, a strong batsman and better than what he was when he left.
Pritchard will bring stability to the Centrals middle-order, whilst also being a genuine opening bowler, which is something the club needed.
Talbot said the trio of Rouvray, Clowes and Pritchard are excellent bowlers and batters who bring a “fantastic approach to cricket, and a real willingness to win.”
Navi Deol is another signing the club has made. Deol has moved over to Australia from New Zealand where he previously played a lot of cricket.
Talbot said he is someone the club has had their eye on for a while, but were waiting to see if and when he was going to move to Australia.
He is described Deol as a patient batsman, working well with their goal of seeing out the 80 overs and providing stability in the batting order, allowing others to play their natural game as well.
In further good news for the Sharks, last season’s Roy Picone player of the year, Rasanjana Jayarathna has committed to a third season at the club.
Talbot said Jayarathna has really fit into the club well and has been a wonderful addition since he came a couple years ago.
“He’s batting has got better each year, he understands our batting decks, he knows when to play and when not to play and he’s now an experienced senior batsman and exactly what we need at the top of the order,”he said.
Talbot also hinted that Jayarathna’s skills with the ball will be utilised more in the coming season.
In some surprising news Talbot himself is making a comeback.
He said sitting out last season he found himself missing cricket and he feels he still has more to offer, with him looking at certain games last season and feeling he could’ve had an impact on the result.
“I think I could offer more value with the bat and from a leadership perspective as well,” he said.
“We have a wonderful younger captain in Owen Doolan and it was about looking for support mechanisms for him.”
Talbot said the club’s goals for the upcoming season were about building off a strong last season, with the club just missing out on a grand final spot.
Ultimately finals is what the club will be striving for.
“We’re going to train harder,” he said. “We’re going to work harder, we’re going to be better prepared than we were last year.”
