Crushing it: Northerners’ Nick Breslin was selected by the Jarvis Delahey Crushers with the first pick of the GVBBL draft.
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Megan Fisher
Preparations for the third instalment of the Goulburn Valley Bush Bash League ramped up a notch on Sunday.
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All four clubs looked to bolster their respective squads via the GVBBL draft ahead of the upcoming season next month.
The Jarvis Delahey Crushers, who held the first overall pick, selected Cricket Shepparton stalwart and Northerners’ all-rounder Nick Breslin with the famed number one slot.
Breslin was the first of 28 selections in the seven-round draft.
The former Lightfoot Medal winner and Old Students premiership player will make his debut appearance in the GVBBL when the Crushers take on Cobram Panel Works Panthers on January 9.
Speaking after the draft, the Crushers’ co-coach Paul Trevaskis said he was satisfied with the players they had selected.
“We are happy with what we have come away with,” he said.
“We are pretty comfortable to have guys like Breslin, (Jake) Klemm and (Brad) Todd, as well as picking up our marquee (Dylan Brasher) the other week.”
Meanwhile, the first two selections from the draft will go head-to-head in the opening round after the Panthers selected Izac Artavilla with pick two.
On the rise: Cobram's Izac Artavilla.
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Contributed
The Cobram young gun has 189 runs from three innings in the Murray Valley Cricket Association season.
“Izac is a young fella from Cobram and he has really stepped up in the past 18 months and taken his game to another level,” Cobram Panel Works Panthers owner Mark Haberfield said.
“This is the perfect format for him.”
The local outfit rounded out their draft selections with Jake Burge, Brodie Ross, Will Sharp, Drew Cameron, Charlie Hillier and Oliver Willett.
Burge, who went pick one last year, was quickly snatched up by the Panthers with pick six in the second round.
New Panther: Jake Burge, in action for the SRP Mud Dogs last season, will swap colours for next year’s GVBBL.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Last season’s runner-up, Hurley’s Hotel Hounds, were next on the clock with pick three.
Hounds player and Katandra star Jedd Wright announced that the Kyabram-based outfit had acquired the services of Rochester all-rounder Angus Martin.
The Goulburn Murray Cricket live-wire was a member of last year’s GVBBL-winning squad, the SRP Mud Dogs.
“Angus from all reports is a very handy cricketer. We are really looking forward to getting him to the club,” Wright said.
Rounding out the first-round selections, the Mud Dogs selected a local Haisman Shield captain.
Talented Tatura opening quick Jayden Armstrong joined the two-time champions via pick four.
The left-armer is fresh off a dazzling 3-13 performance at the weekend.
Mud Dogs owner Steve Reeves was thrilled to welcome Armstrong to the reigning premier’s line-up.
“We see Jayden as a good leader who can add to our bowling stocks. He’s a local boy as well so we’re very happy to welcome him on board,” he said.
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