Dandenong Cricket Club pair Adam McMaster and Edward Newman have been named in Cricket Victoria’s Futures League Winters Training Squad which features 21 of Victoria’s best emerging talent.
McMaster enjoyed a breakout season for the Panthers in 2016/17, taking 27 wickets at 28.6, and impressing with his fierce pace and aggression.
Young gun Newman, who also represented Victoria at Under-19 level last season, took great strides, scoring 197 runs at 28.1, including a 71 not out against eventual premiers Fitzroy-Doncaster.
After the Bushrangers made history last season by becoming the first Victorian side ever to win three Sheffield Shield titles in a row, Victorian Chairman of Selectors Andrew Lynch is placing one eye on the future to keep Victoria at the forefront of Australian domestic cricket.
“The side we’ve picked for the winter training program this year is much younger than we’ve previously had, which is a big part of our strategy going forward,” Lynch said.
“We’re looking to bring these talented young players through our system, which we have a lot of faith in and has proven to be successful in the past, and prepare them as best we can for future possibilities at first-class level.”
The squad will train together at the MCG throughout winter under the tutelage of Victoria’s high performance coaches, including David Hussey and Mick Lewis.
Coaching the side for his second season, Hussey has a clear structure in mind to keep the squad busy over the winter and prepared for the season ahead.
“It’s great to be able to bring the squad together during the winter, which gives us plenty of time to work on developing their skills and techniques for both batting and bowling,” Hussey said.
“We’ll hit the ground running towards the end of June and it’ll be good to finally get back into the swing of things.”
Players will complete numerous sessions between June and September, which will be a combination of skills, strength and conditioning, and performance management sessions. The program commences on Thursday 22 June.
