By Tara Murray
Westmeadows has added two key pieces it hopes will be part of its core group for a number of seasons in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association senior division.
Having locked in captain-coach Donovan Pell and the core of the playing group, the Warriors have announced two key signings.
The first is Jordan Kosteas who returns to his junior club having played premier cricket with the Greenvale Kangaroos.
Sydenham-Hillside skipper Tallan Wright has also come across adding some more experience to the group.
Pell said he had been chatting with Kosteas for a few years about getting him back to the club, where his brother still plays.
“We’ve had some convos the last couple of years and he has not been ready,” he said. “He is ready this year.
“He’s always been down at the club and was a junior at the club. I thought we had a chance of getting him this year and then he made 100 for Greenvale, so I thought our chances were shot.”
Wright also brings premier cricket experience to the Warriors.
More recently he’s been playing against the Warriors in the VTCA senior division, with Aberfeldie and then Sydenham-Hillside.
Pell said as a captain-coach it was massive to get someone of his experience into the club.
“Tallan is even bigger for us,” he said. “He is a middle order bat and a left arm bowler, which we don’t have in one person.”
Pell said both players fitted in with what they were looking to build at the club as they aim to move into the top four.
hE said they made sure that the core group was signed at Christmas time to allow the group to look to add more players.
“Guys like Angus Price and Stephen [Mihelakos-james] are 24,” he said. “Myself and Ryan Nankverkis are 30 and Tallan is 31.
“That’s a good age bracket and we can play together over a few years. We went down a batter earlier in the year with Pawan [Wickramasinghe] hurting his knee and needing surgery.
“We were relying on myself and Stephen to make runs. Jordie will bat in that top five and Tallan will be in the top five as well.”
With changes to the points system, Pell said it would help even out the competition a little bit going forward.
He said they were still looking to add another player to their squad.
“We’ve been strategic with who we have bought in,” he said.
