KANGAROO Flat's hunger to return to the top echelon of teams in the Bendigo District Cricket Association has been given a strong boost with its batting and bowling to be strengthened for the 2020-21 season
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The Roos have former player Jake Klemm returning to Dower Park after his two-year stint at Bendigo United, while one of the competition's premier fast bowlers last season, left-armer Lewis Stabler, is joining Kangaroo Flat from Huntly-North Epsom.
Kangaroo Flat was already renowned for its bowling brigade and will now boast a quartet spearheaded by captain Brent Hamblin, Dylan Klemm, Stabler and veteran Adam Burns, plus the leg-spin of Chris Barber and Klemm's off-spin.
Englishman Stabler was previously coached by Kangaroo Flat coach Wayne Stubbings at Barkers Creek in the Castlemaine District competition and is also a former Barkers Creek team-mate of Roos' batsman Josh Collinson.
"It's fantastic to reunite with Lewis at Kangaroo Flat. Lewis is a true professional in this great game and will be a fantastic acquisition to our club," Stubbings said.
Stabler is coming off a superb season with Huntly-North Epsom, taking 40 wickets, which included hauls of 7-61 v White Hills (round 13) and 6-21 v Strathfieldsaye (semi final) in consecutive games late in the season and was selected in the BDCA Team of the Year.
"Wayne was the reason Lewis come out to Australia a few years ago and they have been great mates from their time at Barkers Creek, so there's a really strong connection there," Hamblin said on Saturday.
"Lewis has played a bit of Twenty20 cricket with us, so it's great we've been able to secure him to now have two of the quickest bowlers in the competition with him and Dyl Klemm... it's not going to be much fun batting in the nets on a Tuesday and Thursday."
Meanwhile, the Roos will inject Klemm back into their top-order following his two-season stint at Bendigo United.
Klemm won the Redbacks' club champion award in both seasons, while his highlight innings was the 201 he made against White Hills in round three of 2018-19.
"Jake is an excellent acquisition. He's a Kangaroo Flat lad, so it's good to get him back and in his couple of years at BUCCs he showed he can score some good runs (1030 across the two seasons)," Hamblin said.
"He's one of the best batsmen in the competition under the age of 25, so he's right in that age group that we're targeting.
"Everyone is aware that our batting has been our weakness for probably the past decade and is something we've been working on getting stronger.
"He will also give us 10 to 15 overs of his off-spin and is an excellent fielder as well, particularly his catching."
The Roos also have another former player in batsman Nathan Newlan returning, while they are hopeful of getting a second season out of English keeper-batsman Ben Birkhead, a Yorkshire County player.
The Roos finished fifth last season after capitulating in the final round against Eaglehawk when they were bowled out for 145 chasing 152, with the loss costing Kangaroo Flat the chance of playing finals for just the second time since its last grand final appearance in 2007-08.
2019-20 SEASON BDCA-EVCA CLUB REVIEW SERIES:
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