A Big Preseason and New Recruits, Positive Signs for The Bombers
- Staff Writer
- Sep 23
- 3 min read
Coming off one of the toughest seasons in our 153-year history, The Bombers are looking to jump back up the Premier Cricket ladder this season.
The Bombers won just one First XI match last season but that experience and a big pre-season has the club ready to turn a corner and climb the ladder in season 25/26.
With the senior playing group locked in and seven recruits brought in during the winter, the competition for spots will be stronger.
To prepare for the new campaign, The Bombers have played five practice matches, including three against top-flight rivals Carlton, Ringwood and Fitzroy Doncaster.
“We’ve deliberately had a heavy practice match period so we can get opportunities on turf,” coach Ben Fletcher said.
"We went to Cohuna, we took 43 players up for that, and we finish up this Friday – on the public holiday – with four teams playing".
“I feel it’s a lot more positive, we retained 100 per cent of our list other than two lower XI players and added seven players to our senior squad so that drives competition. “I’ll be interested to see how far we’ve come, the boys are bigger, stronger and fitter.”
The Bombers have recruited well in the off season with Former Greenvale Kangaroos and Kingston-Hawthorn quick Harry Singh, Ikroop Dhanoa from Fitzroy Doncaster and Newtown & Chilwell paceman Noah Guida all jumping on board, whilst Muhamed Arsalan has returned after stint back home in Pakistan. Leitchville-Gunbower all rounder Jaspar Wilson-Keir has also re-committed at Windy Hill for the season ahead.
Fletcher is bullish on Guida’s potential after he took 37 First XI wickets in the Geelong Cricket Association, second most in the competition, to lead Newtown & Chilwell to a grand final appearance.
Trembearth will bolster the club’s top-order having opened the batting at St Kilda and Greenvale Kangaroos and Dhanoa played seven First XI matches for the Lions in 2024-25.
Fletcher was pleased with the club’s improved depth.
"In Round 1 we’re going to have to say no to 11 players,” he said. “We’ve got 58 on our list, which is really good, and we’ve had to knock back somewhere between 50 and 70 that have tried out."
“There’s been a lot of inquiries, I think our coaching structures helps with that – we’ve got 13 coaches – and also our players are very positive and I think a lot of referrals come from that.”
Liam Molloy will captain the Bombers for a second season after returning from an English summer
Wicketkeeper-batter Connor Poulton was the Bombers’ leading run-scorer last season with 438 runs at 29.2, while youngster Vihanga Fernando stepped up to open the batting late in the year and finished with 265 runs at 26.5.
Nick McGuane was the leading wicket-taker with 19 scalps, down from 27 last season, while Jarrod Parsons claimed 14 stepping up from VTCA club Druids.
Fletcher had high praise for Poulton. “I think Connor is an excellent cricket and in the top-four keeper-batsmen in the state,” he said.
The likes of Guida, Jackson Martin, Nav Rai, Abdul Rafay and Sean Phillips Williams are other young guns to watch.
After the club as a whole improved its win-loss record last season, Fletcher was hoping to see all XIs take a step forward. “We had a plan to win more games last year than the previous year and we did get there, albeit one more game,” he said. “As simple as it sounds, we had 15 wins as a club and we want to push that to 25 this year.
“Our process is we’re getting improvement and being in more positions to win games of cricket, I certainly won’t come out and say we should be playing finals but I don’t know how good we can be." “What does the extra pressure for spots mean? Does it mean performance or does it mean people put more pressure on themselves which can decrease (performance).” Only time will tell.
The 1st XI will kick off its campaign with a one-day game against Melbourne at The Albert Ground on October 4.
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