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ECB SPCL Division One preview
Mike Vimpany (as published in Daily Echo 30/04/02) - 2 May 2002
Five South Africans, two Australians and an American/Pakistani form an intriguing overseas contingent who will be taking their bow in the opening round of ECB Southern Electric Premier League 50-over matches on Saturday afternoon.
Andover, Calmore Sports, Liphook & Ripsley, Portsmouth and South Wilts have recruited from South Africa.
And Burridge to Atlanta Georgia, on the USA's east coast for overseas support. But it's odds-on that the two Aussies - Bashley's Luke Ronchi, and BAT Sports bound Michael Watson - will make the biggest impact.
Both are highly respected A-Grade batsmen in their respective Perth and Sydney competitions, and could have a significant influence on the Premier scene in the coming four months.
Ronchi, 21, needs little or no introduction.
He spent two previous summers with Bashley, in 1999 and 2000, scoring over 1,200 runs ... as a highly rated teenager !
Now he's back after spending a year in Rod Marsh's renowned Australian Cricket Academy and a run strewn winter back home in the demanding arena of Western Australia Pennant Grade competition.
"He's had a phenomenal winter playing for his club side Perth," revealed former Hampshire opening batsman Paul Terry, who coaches rival WA club Melville. "Luke is one of the most talented batsman/wicketkeepers I have seen.
"He has the lovely ability to time the ball sweetly in the mould of his mentor, Adam Gilchrist - and I don't say that lightly.
"He is a really fantastic timer of the ball for one so sleight of build and but for Gilchrist and Ryan Campbell being part of the WA scene, he would be playing Pura Cup (Sheffield Shield) cricket by now."
Terry watched Ronchi score 173 off his own Melville attack - an innings which catapulted the Perth prospect straight into the Western Australia side for a day-night game against Victoria at the WACA earlier this year.
"He got a double hundred in a Sunday League game and ended up with over 750 runs in the A-Grade, which is no mean feat," said Terry.
The prospect of watching Ronchi bat alongside former Hampshire left-hander Andy Sexton has Bashley skipper Neil Taylor drooling.
But Bashley's ability to launch a challenge on champions BAT Sports could hinge on whether top 2001 wicket-taker Matt King is fit. King, who grabbed 35 wickets last season, is suffering from chest and rib injuries and doubtful for Saturday's opener at Calmore.
BAT swept to the championship on the strength of 11 successive wins during the second-half of last season.
Michael Watson, a hard-hitting left-hander from the University of New South Wales Grade side, replaces team-mate Dave Carson as BAT's overseas player. Teenager Damian Shirazi returned from a winter in NSW with rave reports about Watson's batting prowess and expects the Sydney Customs man to be among the leading SPL run scorers this summer.
BAT have bolstered their seam attack by recruiting Kirk Stewart, from Andover.
Havant, the inaugural Premier League champions in 2000, have decided to run without any overseas support this summer. Their bowling armoury will be weakened by the departure of the economical Richard Lewis (who has been transferred in the banking world).
But fitness instructor Bevis Moynhan has arrived from the Huddersfield League and Mackey Hobson from nearby Hambledon.
Hampshire Under-19 captain Steve Snell, who has just joined the Lord's groundstaff, will command a top six berth in a powerful Havant top-order.
Off-spinning South African Gareth Tate is among five newcomers introduced to Andover by Roger Miller, who has succeeded Jerry Hayward as captain. Former Sussex and Middlesex opener Toby Radford has switched from relegated Hungerford, leg-spinning all-rounder Martin Docis joins from Cove, and wicket-keeper Lee Wateridge from Gosport.
Richard Taylor, who exited BAT's title tilt in a hurry last summer, will significantly strengthen Andover's batting and medium-pace bowling divisions.
South Wilts will boast an unusual but highly potent left-arm pace attack - Natal prospect Shane Adam sharing the new ball with Hampshire's James Tomlinson, who has been creating a few wicket-taking waves in his first summer term at Cardiff UCCE.
Adam has already represented Natal in South Africa's 4-day SuperSport competition and is strongly tipped by Bemerton skipper Russell Rowe to be among the top wicket takers this summer.
With all-rounder Paul Draper arriving from Calmore Sports and John Nash back from university, South Wilts could be a surprise packet in the SPL this term.
Former SA Academy player Christoff Bothma, from the Free State, has joined Calmore Sports, whose strength has been seriously sapped by the departures of Martin Kellaway and now Draper in successive years.
Another South African youngster Ryan Swan, from Johannesburg, has the unenviable prospect of filling the shoes of Stephen Cook at newly promoted Portsmouth.
Cook, eldest son of Hampshire coach Jimmy, scored over 730 runs in Portsmouth's Division 2 championship campaign last summer. Swan, who is coaching at Portsmouth Grammar School, played for Gauteng U19s this winter.
Paul Dew and Pete Hayward are both expected to miss the first half of the season.
Hampshire's Lawrie Prittipaul is expected to play for Tony Middleton's Academy XI - or Southsea, in the Hampshire League.
Liphook & Ripsley, who narrowly avoided relegation last season, have recruited Cove's Neil Randall and bring in Western Province Under-19 player Alistair Gray, from Cape Town.
Hampshire YCs starlet Chris Wright remains at Liphook after turning down a possible move to Havant.
Perhaps the most intriguing of the foreign imports is Moeen Cheema, who will be the first American/Pakistani to ever play in Hampshire recreational cricket when he dons the colours of Burridge in Saturday's opener against Bashley (Rydal).
A law graduate from Harvard University, Cheema is a right-arm pace bowler, who plays for Atlanta Gymkhana on America's eastern seaboard.
Bournemouth welcome back Richard Scott, the former Hampshire left-hander, as Director of Cricket.
But with teenage wicketkeeping prospect Chris Park joining the Northants Academy and Peter Waite not returning from Western Australia, Bournemouth may lack strength in depth to push for the honours.
© Michael Vimpany (not to reproduced in any other publication)