Promising Casey-South Melbourne quick Lukas Hoogenboom’s future at Casey Fields is up in the air, after he accepted an attractive offer to play for Hawthorn-Monash University. 14733By Marc McGowan
YOUNG paceman Lukas Hoogenboom remains at the centre of what is becoming a testy relationship between Casey-South Melbourne and Hawthorn-Monash University.
Hoogenboom has accepted an attractive offer from the Hawks, but the Swans have refused to clear him to their rival Victorian Premier Cricket club.
Casey-South Melbourne coach Mark Ridgway hit out at former Swans president and now Monash University director of cricket Graham Yallop in June after he approached Hoogenboom to switch camps.
Yallop sounded out Hoogenboom, who is playing cricket in England, following a strong recruiting drive from the Swans that netted former Tasmanian representative Damien Wright, Jayde Herrick and Ash Perera.
All three fast bowlers will walk straight into Casey-South Melbourne’s first XI, leaving Hoogenboom, who opened the bowling last season, to question whether he had a role in the new regime.
But Ridgway believes Hoogenboom is a valuable member of his side and said the club would fight to keep him.
“We’re going to appeal (to Cricket Victoria’s pennant committee) and we’re confident we will retain his services,” he said.
“We received an email from Lukas saying the deal was too good to refuse.”
Yallop quit the Swans in May to take up his new position and there has been plenty of player movement since.
Six Casey-South Melbourne players, including Marc Ferne, Brad Baptist and Jye Sampson, have already joined Yallop at Hawthorn-Monash University.
Englishman Chris Benham, who was the Swans’ professional player last season, is also expected to pad up for the Hawks next season.
Ferne, Baptist and Sampson have previously competed at first XI level for Casey-South Melbourne, but Ridgway said they would not have played at that standard in the coming season.
“They’re all just thirds and fourths players, so they’re not required,” he said.
“We didn’t see them as first-grade players at our club.”
The Swans have also signed opening batsman Ben Stallworthy and fast bowler Rod Bird, a Cranbourne resident, from the Hawks to add further spice to the drama.
Batsman Luke Chapple’s future is still to be decided, with it looking increasingly likely he will defect to Frankston-Peninsula.
Up-and-coming quick Andrew Perrin, who made his first XI debut for Casey-South Melbourne last season, has already left to play for Dandenong.
The Swans have also recruited long-term prospects Chris Rump, Rhys Holdsworth and Matthew Grayson.
Ridgway cannot wait for the season to start.
“We have a new culture and have set a new standard … the whole place has turned around,” he said.
“The biggest problem is managing internal expectations because of the talent we have on the park at the moment.
“Players will have to earn a place in our first-grade team, whereas over the last two years a lot of players have been promoted that haven’t been able to perform because their skills were not good enough.”
Casey-South Melbourne is training three times a week and will ramp up its preparations in September, with a training camp in Foster and a series of trial games.
