Recruit to pull on the gloves

TIM Ludeman is expected to keep in Geelong’s intra-club match at Kardinia Park today, a week out from the start of the Premier Cricket season.

The star recruit had a funeral yesterday and will miss the start of today’s 50-over match, before pulling on the gloves for the afternoon session. The hit-out will feature 22 of the club’s best 33 players.

Brenton McDonald also misses, while the Cats have half-a-dozen talented juniors representing Vic Country at under-17 and under-19 level over the long weekend.

Lachie Field (opening batsman), Callum Stow (left-arm wrist spinner) and Tom Jackson (batsman, keeper) are on under-17 duties, while Leyton Thulborn (right-arm off spinner), Lachie Wareham (allrounder) and Brody Couch (all-rounder) are trialling for the Vic Country under-19 side in Barooga. “There’s six players there who would be well and truly in the mix who are representing Vic Country either in the trials for the under-19s, or the under-17s, who are actually playing their carnival,” coach Andrew Borovec said.

“We’ve got a bit of a spread between both XIs (for today’s game). Our main priority is getting, No.1, the volume into the players, but No.2, getting some contests within contests that will help prepare for Round 1.

“We’ll play 50 overs — we want to get in as much cricket as we can, of course, so it will be really good.”

The Cats have come off a weekend in Numurkah where their first XI and second XI sides had practice matches against Northcote, their opponent in the season opener.

Borovec said he was optimistic about what the side could achieve this season after finishing 15th last summer.

“Every team would be the same, no doubt. We were a lot lower than we would have liked last year,” he said. “It’s come around quickly but we’ve had a really positive pre-season.

“We put in a lot of focus into our starts with the ball and with the bat, so we train those and did a lot of work and review on what we needed to do to get better at that.

“And also we’ve had some recruiting, too.”

English County star Josh Cobb joins the side in Round 4, joining Ludeman as the Cats’ two high-profile recruits.

“They’re the main two guys, but throughout the grades we’ve had a lot of young talent join this year,” Borovec said.