Melton is far from needing to go through a rebuilding phase, but if it did the club’s burgeoning young talent stocks would stand it in good stead.
With club products making a mark in Premier Cricket and a host of teenagers rising through the ranks, the Lions are reaping the benefits of a year-round approach to player development.
Melton has an established recruiting base in local clubs such as Melton Centrals, Melton South and West Saints, while this past winter the club took steps to establish the pathway for talented youngsters in the broader region.
Melton Hatch Shield coach Bill Clarke coming on board as junior talent development coach was a significant step in setting up the club’s junior development and talent ID program.
“Melton Cricket Club hoped this program would become a significant pathway for the talented juniors,” Clarke said.
“The youngsters need look no further than Patrick McKenna, who represented the Melton club over the past two seasons in the first XI as a 16 and 17-year old.”
McKenna, from Gisborne, captained the Victorian under-17 team, has since gone on to play first XI Premier Cricket with Carlton and was recently selected in the Victorian under-19 team. Through the ranks, the development program is having an effect.
While the first XI, reigning premier in VSDCA, is a hard unit to break into, the second XI is starting to fill up with the club’s next generation.
Teenage players such as Jake Thornton- Gielen, Dylan Clarke and Jake Charge are playing second XI. Tom Rogers started in the thirds but has worked his way up to the seconds, as did James Challis for a game recently.
Thornton-Gielen has a 50 to his name in the seconds this season, while Clarke, an off-spinner, has seven wickets to date, including a haul of 4-21 against Yarraville.
“We really believe in the talent pool of kids between about 15 and 17,” Melton vice-president Craig Payne said.
Payne said other clubs in the Melton area had to be congratulated for pushing their promising players towards the VSDCA system.
“Our [Melton] youngsters have formed an under-17.5 side playing in the Williamstown [WDCA] competition,” Payne said. “They play in the morning as a group before heading off to their senior matches in the afternoon.”
Another Melton product for the youngsters to emulate is Footscray Edgewater’s Dylan Kight. The keeper-batsman has become a mainstay of the Bulldogs’ first XI in recent seasons.
On the field, Melton was beaten by visiting Bayswater’s heroic run-chase in a two-dayer at MacPherson Park.
Melton made 184 batting first, with Nathan Geisler (56) and John Varchione (36) the only batsmen to pass 30. Bayswater scraped home with 9-186 in the 80th over.
Melton had reduced Bayswater to 8-105 and 9-130, with James Wheelahan (3-46), Brad Jones (2-61) and Nathan Allen (2-49) the multiple wicket-takers.
But Sean Flynn (56no) was Bayswater’s hero as he and No.11 Luke Turner (25no) put on 56 in a stunning last-wicket stand.
