BARHAM-KOONDROOK CRICKET CLUB – 2024-25 SEASON PREVIEW
SHDCA FAST FACTS
PRESIDENT – Jayden Hall
A-GRADE CAPTAINS – Garry Lolicato and Jayden Hall
2023-24 FINISH – Fifth
LEADING RUN SCORER – Warren Lolicato – 410 runs @ 41.00
LEADING WICKET TAKER – Chameera Akurugoda – 31 wickets @ 12.55
WORDS FROM THE CAPTAIN
JAYDEN HALL
“Last year was our first year in the competition and it was a good learning experience for us. We missed finals by a game, but we got a good taste of the league and we’ve picked up a couple of players as well, so we’re expecting to have a real crack at it this year.”
PLAYER TO WATCH
Lachlan Laursen – Could well be the difference between Barham-Koondrook playing finals or not. Hits the ball as well as anyone, as evidenced by his match-winning knock of 72 from 40 balls against RSL in round 5 last season. If he can find a bit more consistency and produce his best more often, Laursen could end up being one of the most damaging counter punch batters in the SHDCA.
IN’S – Kynan Laursen (RSL), Hayden Solar (Bundoora United), Caleb Davidson
OUT’S – None
AFTER getting their first taste of life in the Swan Hill & District Cricket Association last season, Barham-Koondrook will be hoping to avoid the second year blues and push for finals when the 2024-25 season gets underway in three weeks time.
It was a strong first season from the Raiders, who finished fifth on the SHDCA ladder and missed finals by one and a half games after crossing over from the now defunct Northern District Cricket Association senior competition.
Despite not making the finals, Barham-Koondrook made a significant impression on their new rivals, with the league newcomers proving more than competitive in most games against the top teams.
That season is expected to hold the Raiders in good stead this year, according to co-captain Jayden Hall, who will return to lead Barham-Koondrook.
“Last year was a bit of an eye opener for us as it was a different brand of cricket to what we were used to,” Hall said.
“The biggest difference was around how aggressive opposition teams are, that was probably the biggest thing and we had to adapt from playing a more traditional kind of cricket which was what we were used to.
“That experience has made us evolve and made us think about how we want to move forward with our cricket, which is a good challenge.
“Experience is always good and especially now that we know what to expect from other teams and other players, we’ll be in a much stronger position this year.”
Joining Hall at the helm this year will be talented all-rounder Garry Lolicato, with the pair to share the captaincy duties.
“It’s exciting, ‘Gaz’ (Lolicato) has been one of my best mates for a long time and the opportunity to captain together was something we were both pretty excited to do,” Hall said.
“We both bowl a lot and we’ve both said that it would be nice to have someone else in charge just so we can both concentrate on our bowling when we are in the middle of a spell instead of worrying about the team.
“He (Lolicato) might miss a couple of weeks with work, but he’s committed to playing more often than not and him being there makes us a lot better team when he’s in.”
Lolicato indeed makes Barham-Koondrook an instantly better team with both bat and ball, with the all-rounder producing a strong first season in the SHDCA with 274 runs and 23 wickets.
Also among the Raiders key players this season will by Garry’s brother Warren, who showed how dangerous he can be with the bat scoring a century and four half centuries last season to top the run scorers for the Raiders with 410 runs.
The challenge for Barham-Koondrook will be in others stepping up to help the Lolicato brothers shoulder the load, with Chameera Akurugoda, Lachlan Laursen and both Joel and Lance Davidson all capable of impacting with the bat.
Helping the Raiders depth with the stick will be the recruitment of wicket keeper-batsman Kynan Laursen, along with batting all-rounders Caleb Davidson and Hayden Solar to the club.
Having seemingly corrected their batting depth, Hall is confident in his team’s ability with the ball after last year’s strong showing from Akurugoda, Lolicato and youngster Riley D’Silva.
“I think we’ll continue to be a pretty good bowling side,” Hall said.
“Last year I thought we bowled teams out for chasable totals most weeks and if we can find another 30 or 40 runs out of our list with the bat, I think we’ll be hard to beat.
“We’ll be strong with the ball and our batting will improve with our three new inclusions, our depth with the bat will be better, but our strength will definitely be with the ball in hand.
Akurugoda led the way with the ball last season with 31 wickets, while Garry Lolicato (23 wickets), Hall (22 wickets), Jade Stewart and D’Silva (both 14 wickets) shows how many options the Raiders have with the ball.
The big improver could well be Joel Davidson, with the leg spinner impressing across pre-season training in his second year with the club.
Having retained the bulk of their list and recruited well, Barham-Koondrook appear well placed to break through for their first SHDCA finals appearance since joining the competition, with the Raiders having the potential to be this year’s surprise packet.
