The Bendigo District Cricket Association has a high-quality squad of 13 players to represent the league at this week's Melbourne Country Week carnival.
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The BDCA will take on Mornington-Peninsula, Ferntree Gully and Traralgon in Provincial White. Sale-Maffra, West Gippsland, Ballarat and Geelong are in Provincial Blue.
Coach Shane Koop profiles the players that will attempt to win the BDCA its first Provincial title since 2010.
Read more - BDCA primed for MCW campaign
Ben DeAraugo (Strathdale) (c) - "Ben plays his best cricket in high pressure situations and the provincial level is sure to be just that. Ben's measured and player driven approach to his captaincy is ideal for developing players, building relationships within the playing group and importantly winning games of cricket for our association."
Ryan Hartley (Golden Square) (vc) - "Ryan will open the batting and wicket-keep. His vice-captaincy is a reflection of his character, knowledge of the game and we'll be leveraging off his Premier Cricket experience."
Liam Smith (Golden Square) (vc) - "Liam is terrific person and respected among the playing group. Liam's vice-captaincy is a reflection of his leadership at Golden Square. Liam will lead the spin to win approach with his variation and recent experiences within the Victoria Premier Cricket Super Slam and Goulburn Valley Bush Bash."
Sam Johnston (Strathdale) - "Sam's an impact player and a calming influence among the group. Sam will open the batting with the aim to win the Powerplay and gain some momentum early on. His role with ball will be centred around taking wickets early and closing the innings."
Ben Birkhead (Kangarooo Flat) - "Ben is an exciting overseas player working on his craft within the BDCA. We're looking for Ben to play with freedom in the top order and embrace this development opportunity."
Kyle Humphrys (Bendigo) - "Kyle will play a key all-rounder role. Batting through the middle order with game sense and forming part of the spin attack. Kyle is a proven player at this level and will enjoy the extra pace in the metropolitan wickets."
Jack Neylon (Strathdale) - "Jack had a fantastic campaign last season. Jack will play an important role in the top order. His approach to batting suits faster wickets and this experience is sure to fast track his development."
Grant Waldron (Strathdale) - "Grant has great cricket awareness and knows his game inside and out. His leadership skills and knowledge of the game will be utilised on and off the field. Grant will field in the hot spots and drive standards on the field."
Scott Trollope (Golden Square) - "Scott had a huge impact last season with the Dukes ball. His high release and into the wicket length is extremely valuable. Scott's batting is an important component to our team structure, as late runs, either setting or defending, is generally match defining."
Adam Burns (Kangarooo Flat) - "Adam is an experienced player at Melbourne Country Week level. He is fitter then ever and will mentor our quicks with his ability to swing the ball early and challenge the batters defence."
Dylan Klemm (Kangarooo Flat) - "Dylan is an exciting young athletic quick and his skillset is growing year on year. We'll be looking for Dylan to relax, enjoy the experience, take the hand break off and bowl fast."
Rhys Irwin (White Hills) - "Rhys is a great person to have on your team. His all-rounder skill set provides flexibility to team balance. His approach to cricket is everything you want in a team mate - competitive, respectful and shows leadership."
Savith Priyan (Strathfieldsaye) - "Savith is terrific at his craft. His spinners have a great flight path and an ability to drop the ball in challenging areas. Savith will be crucial for us either holding games and or impacting games via wickets."
BDCA fixture:
Monday: v Traralgon at Melbourne University
Tuesday: v Mornington-Peninsula at Kew
Wednesday: v Ferntree Gully at Balwyn
Thursday: semi-finals - venues TBA
Friday: grand final
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