By Jonty Ralphsmith
A young Heinz Southern Districts allrounder breaking out against Cranbourne?
We’ve heard that script before.
A five-wicket haul and century in last season’s Dandenong District Cricket Association (DDCA) Turf 2 semi-final against Cranbourne affirmed Triyan De Silva as a danger man for the competition and he has continued contributing this season.
But HSD was occupied with another name in preseason: Kevin Seth.
He showed why on the weekend with a knock of 41 to get the match back on track, combining in an important 38-run partnership with Jett Kearney.
Opening the bowling, he got the first two wickets and finished with figures of 3/18 from his seven overs.
A right-arm seam-up bowler who keeps it tight, he bowled well prior to Christmas without getting the rewards.
He went at an economy rate of 2.87 and there were plenty of wickets up the other end during his spells, but he claimed only two himself.
He got out early a few times, having been thrown around the order, but when he got set, he capitalised with a half-century against Parkfield.
“I’ve said this for a long time; as much as people rave on about Triyan being a superstar, I think Kevin Seth is in the same ilk,” said HSD skipper Craig Hookey.
“If you don’t get him early, he’s hard to get out.
“He’s got so many gears to go through, and all throughout preseason we said he was going to be our best batter this year so it was good to see him perform in trying circumstances.”
Last season, he scored 179 runs at an average of 30 from 10 innings and collected 12 wickets at an average of 19.25 and economy rate of 3.30
Cranbourne captain Mick Sweeney backed up Hookey’s love for Seth.
“Kevin Seth is the best player we’ve come up against, he bowls, he bats, he fields, he’s level headed, he doesn’t make bad decisions, he’s a really good young cricketer,” Sweeney said.
Kearney also scored 41 batting at eight to help HSD scrap to 7/170 after being 6/92, before a late Cranbourne collapse of 4/7 helped HSD to a 19-run victory.
“It’s one of the best wins I’ve been part of,” Hookey said.
Hookey opened the batting for the first time on the weekend, with Brent Patterson who is flying, followed by Ethan French, De Silva and Seth and he thinks that’s the setup that works best for them.
HSD sit third on the ladder with four wins ahead of its first home match of the season this weekend, against Doveton.
