WAYNE Walsh, Adam Burns and Ben DeAraugo are greats of Bendigo cricket.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Multiple premierships and a swag full of individual awards are testament to their stellar careers.
All three also represented Victoria Country at the Australian Country Cricket Championships.
Walsh was captain of Victoria Country when the carnival was last held in Bendigo in 1989-90.
"It was a great carnival,'' Walsh said.
"It's a great way to play against great country players who could go on and develop into Australian players."
Burns represented Victoria Country at three carnivals.
"It's the best level you can play as a country cricketer,'' Burns said.
"It was a great opportunity for me to play at that next level. Hopefully, some Bendigo cricketers get the chance this summer to play in the carnival in their home town."
DeAraugo's Strathdale team-mates Linton Jacobs, Cameron Taylor and Travis King represented Victoria Country at last summer's championship in Canberra.
DeAraugo, who is now the Northern Rivers regional cricket manager, played alongside Burns in the 2009 carnival in South Australia.
"From that carnival Sam Miller, who played for Victoria Country, has gone on to play Shield cricket for South Australia,'' he said.
"Luke Feldman was Queensland Country's big fast bowler that year and he's now opening the bowling for Queensland in Shield cricket.
"It's great exposure for any player to get the experience of playing against players of that quality."