By Nicholas Creely
Dandenong District champion and Wookey medallist Matthew Chasemore is in talks to return to the Victorian Premier Cricket competition as a playing coach with St Kilda next season.
Chasemore played 29 matches at the Saints from 2013/14 to 2014/15, where he also represented Victoria in the Second XI competition.
He then left the club to return to Cranbourne in what was a memorable homecoming, winning the Turf 1 flag against Springvale South in the greatest game in the competition’s history.
Chasemore told Star News Group exclusively that his possible return to the elite competition is about challenging himself to once again put his name up in lights for a late Victorian Bushrangers berth, even at the age of 34.
“The door hasn’t closed – I was chasing a goal of state cricket and told I wasn’t going to be looked at – do I believe I’m good enough? Yep,” he said.
“I still think I could play Big Bash, or if thrown out into the Shield, I’d be fine – but I’m 34, realistically it won’t happen.
“At the moment, I’ve had some discussions with St Kilda to go back – they’ve shown some interest, as have other clubs – I look at all the options, and I’d love to play there again – the brain tells me to do it, the body tells me I’m kidding myself.
“The thing with Premier Cricket, I need to know that my body will allow me to – I’ve joined a boxing gym down my way – I’m working to get my body good enough to play at that level.
“If I get everything right, Premier Cricket is likely to be my path, there’s nothing better – until I rule that out everything is on the back-burner.”
Although happy at the Eagles, his junior club, Chasemore is unsure at this stage whether the club believes he is in their plans, and will sit down with the club shortly to discuss his future.
“Things have changed a little bit – I don’t know everything yet, I’m not sure what Cranny are doing – I’ve told them to take time and figure out the direction of the club – if Steve Spoljaric and I don’t fit into it, we’re grown men – my heart is there, but it’s out of my control,” he said.
“At this stage, I’m a Cranbourne player but we’ll see what happens – I don’t play for money, it’s the total opposite.”
Rumours circulated that Chasemore was going to join his great mate Nick Jewell at Main Ridge in the MPCA next year, but quashed the possibility, at-least for the next few years.
“I don’t fit into Main Ridge’s points but I’ll coach them,” he said. “I actually started the rumours to start some chaos. “Will I play there eventually? 100 per cent at some stage.”
