McMahon Shield reigning premier Echuca will head into the 2022-23 season without Graham Turner Medalist Taylor Beard, with Beard returning to Bendigo District Cricket Association club Sandhurst Dragons.
The Echuca skipper returns to the Dragons following two seasons with Echuca, helping the club to its first A-grade flag in 17 years and netting two league best-and-fairests in as many seasons.
Beard said work commitments made it the right choice to return to the Dragons, where he will return as assistant coach to the club he led for three seasons and helped secure a BDCA top-grade premiership in 2017-18.
“It wasn’t really a cricket-related decision to be totally honest,” Beard said.
“With the season and the extra responsibility at work, it’s very busy at that time of the year week in week out.
“That’s pretty much what it came down to, just location more than anything.”
After six years with Echuca prior to his initial link-up with the Dragons, Beard marked his return to Echuca in 2020-21, and in his first season back was named GMC league best-and-fairest, a feat he emulated in 2021-22.
Beard’s two seasons in the GMC returned 1098 runs and 76 wickets across all grades.
“I absolutely loved getting back to Echuca,” Beard said.
“I spent six years there prior to coming down and testing myself down at Bendigo level. It was good to get back and give a little bit back.
“The reasons at the time were to spend a bit more time closer to family and it was good to do that.
“But it was also to play some good quality cricket with a heap of good mates – I thoroughly enjoyed my last couple of years back.
“To top it off with a flag was great, especially with a decent drought there. It was good for the boys we had to achieve that together.
Across the Murray, Moama is building for a tilt at the McMahon Shield.
Club best-and-fairest Anthony McMahon is back at Moama Reserve after two seasons with Sandhurst.
His last season with Moama yielded 538 runs and 26 wickets in a season that saw the talented all-rounder challenge for the Turner Medal.
The Magpies have also added a former sub-district talent at the top of its batting order, welcoming Matt Saunders for the upcoming season.
Moama’s busy recruiting period also saw the McMahon semi-finalists welcome leg-spinner and batter Russell Stockdale from BDCA club Eaglehawk.