Shepparton United has kept itself enormously busy across the past couple of weeks on the cricket recruitment front.
Last week, the landmark news across the competition of a new junior girls league within Cricket Shepparton dropped.
Tied in with that development, United was first past the post with the marquee signing of English import Sophie Ullah to help build up the women’s division.
Now on the men’s front, the club’s Haisman Shield contingent has received its own share of bolstering with one old and one new import each putting pen to paper.
Starting wicketkeeper Jake Callow once again returns to United from England after donning the gloves as an ever-present figure in his debut campaign last season.
By far his most prominent all-around performance came in United’s 24-run win over Northerners in October, notching his sole half-century with the bat as an opener and procuring figures of 2-36 with the ball.
A new face will be welcomed to the Shepparton fold this time around as well, with fellow top-order hitter Ben Greenwood announced as a recruit out of Reading.
Greenwood treads a well-worn pathway to Princess Park, hailing from the exact same position — that is, captaining the first XI at Pangbourne College — as Dan Jones, who occupied one of United’s overseas slots last year.
President Steven Nash was understandably in a celebratory mood.
“We’ve already started training and the club as a whole is off to a good start,” Nash said.
“It says a lot about the Shepparton community that guys can come for a gap year straight out of high school and love it so much.
“We hope to keep that going and perhaps make it an annual thing for us.
“It’s great to have champion ex-players back supporting our coaching, too, and it’s created some interest from past players putting their hands up for next year.
“We’d welcome new players as well and anyone interested in joining our men’s or women’s teams would be great.”
Lastly, the club secured the signature of 22-year-old Seb Menzhausen, hailing from Nottinghamshire as a further reinforcement for the club’s burgeoning top-order batting stocks.
Naturally, the suggestion that United is firming as considerably more of an offence-oriented side this time around is accepted as a valid one.
“Our aim will be going into this year with options to move people around, whether in a one-dayer or a two-dayer,” Nash said.
“We’re hoping we can provide a batting line-up that really makes bowlers work hard to get through us, so hopefully we can get those runs on the board.
“We’re really comfortable having Jake come back out. He knows what to expect and he contributed really well last year.
“We’re backing our younger bowlers and our local bowlers to do that work.
We were so close to finals last year and nothing is guaranteed, but we hope to have a finals team this season.”
Some of the existing Haisman exports abroad have put up some stunning efforts over the past couple of weeks in their UK exploits as well.
Numurkah batsman James Du Toit has excelled with a half-century and a ton in his past two knocks for Denbigh, with his run tally of 645 at 53.75 a long way clear at the top of the North Wales Cricket League.
Fellow Blues James Glynn and Dylan Grandell have enjoyed some days out, the former collecting a five-for last time out representing Carlton and the latter raising his bat with 58 against ladder-leading opposition at Chessington.
Undoubtedly, though, Karramomus paceman Lachlan Keady has taken overall honours with a simply stunning outing for Formby’s second XI.
Meeting Colwyn Bay in the Liverpool and District Cricket Competition, Keady was tasked with protecting his side’s total of 146.
The Vibert Reserve native did all that and more in collecting all 10 wickets himself, completing a clean sweep of the scorecard and securing a 17-run victory to raucous celebrations.