Former Victorian quick returns home - St Brigid’s recruiting coup
On the heels of the new season, St Brigid’s St Louis have landed a recruiting coup that will see them enter the year a reinvigorated and much more experienced side.
Last Thursday, the Saints announced the signing of former Premier Cricket star Sam Taylor, and the return of Alan Wise, who played his junior cricket at Browns Road Reserve before eventually representing Victoria and South Australia at the state level.
Sam Taylor boasts a decorated premier cricketing career with the Richmond Cricket Club, playing well over 250 1st XI games, which included captaining the club for two seasons in 2006/7 and 2007/8.
Alan Wise played his juniors at St Brigid’s before taking his talents to the Richmond Cricket Club, where he also played in close to 300 1st XI matches. Wise finished his Premier Cricket career with 552 wickets at an average of just 18, before transitioning into a coaching role at Footscray Cricket Club, and more recently Spotswood (VTCA).
Wise brings premier cricketing coaching experience to the Cave.
Whilst both players are moving towards the back end of their careers, they will still bring the elements of leadership and experience that the ‘cave’ have been desperately searching for.
Captain Liam Harris is excited about the upcoming season, citing a newfound confidence at Browns Reserve in the leadup to season 2022/23. “We are extremely content with our off season and are happy to have attracted quality people and quality players to our club”.
“The Club has not won a 1st XI premiership in over 20 years, and we feel that the foundations are now in place to begin our journey towards playing finals and hopefully a few steps further” Liam added.
Featuring just one recruit over the last seven seasons, the Saints approach to 2022/23 has looked a little different than in previous years. The club has always relied on home grown talent, which they have had in steady supply thanks to a well-run junior program and strong club leadership.
The two eleventh hour additions will complement the Saints other two recruits, Jack Ryan and Matt Ackocks, who were announced as signings earlier in the pre-season.
Season 2022 was a tumultuous one for the Saints, struggling to find consistency but showing glimpses of their talent sporadically throughout the year. A prime example of their potential came in Round 11, where the posted 1/305 and dismissed the eventual Grand Finalists Parkdale United for just 65, on the back of a masterclass from youngster Trae Love-Linay (138*) and veteran star Jeremy Heys (127*).
The club is confident that their active off season will allow them to bridge the gap in Division 1, putting themselves in the best position possible to compete in their first finals series since joining the CSB four seasons ago.
Weather permitting, the Saints will get their season underway this weekend taking on Parkdale United at Jack Grut Reserve.