Photo Credit: Melbourne Renegades
The Melbourne Renegades will launch the second male series of Renegades Recruit on August 1.
Twelve cricketers from across Victoria’s community competitions will feature in the three-episode TV program, which will air over three Monday nights via the Renegades Facebook Page and 7Plus.
Over the course of the first two episodes, the squad of 12 players will be whittled down to a final three – with a public vote to determine the winner for episode three.
The winner of the show will be invited to link up with a Renegades Academy squad, which will play matches against a Stars Academy team and some other exciting opposition in the lead-up to BBL|12
They will also receive $1,000 worth of cricket equipment, thanks to Kookaburra, and a TCL 55” QLED Google TV, thanks to new program partner, TCL.
The winner’s club will receive $2,000 worth of Kookaburra gear, plus 100 tickets to a BBL match, a training session at the CitiPower Centre and other Renegades prizes.
Renegades Recruit – Season 2 – Squad
Luke Ashen, Moorabbin CC
Liam Callegari, Old Students CC
Andrew Fotinopoulos, Heidelberg CC
Arosh Janoda, St Albans CC
Nathan Johnson, Druids CC
Alistair McCann, North Geelong CC
Isaac McPherson, Brim Kellalac Sheep Hills CC
Liam Mallia, Plenty Valley CC
Mark Murphy, Brierly Christ Church CC
Liam Smith, Golden Square CC
Andy Solomons, South Warrandyte CC
Dale Tormey, Pakenham CC
Last year’s winner, North Geelong CC’s Tom Mathieson, will also be invited to take part in this Renegades Academy opportunity, after the pandemic prevented him from joining the squad in Darwin last season.
This year’s Renegades Recruit squad features six players from metropolitan competitions and six from regional competitions.
All-rounder Alistair McCann will follow in the footsteps of his North Geelong teammate and inaugural winner, Tom Mathieson. Fast bowler Nathan Johnson is the second player involved from Druids CC in West Footscray, after Mickey Hay made the top six last season.
Two all-rounders with first-class experience in Sri Lanka are in the squad – Arosh Janoda from St Albans and Andy Solomons from South Warrandyte. Both represented Sri Lanka in the Melbourne Renegades Champions League last summer, with Solomons named the Player of the Tournament.
Former Victorian underage representative Dale Tormey, from Pakenham CC, also features. Tormey held the record for most runs at an U19 National Championships before his record was broken in 2016 by current Victorian player Will Pucovski.
There are representatives from six different regional areas – including Liam Smith (Bendigo region), Mark Murphy (Warrnambool region) and Liam Callegari (Shepparton region).
“It’s fantastic to have our male Renegades Recruit program returning for a second season and to really build on the success of last year,” Head Coach, Simon Helmot, said.
“It was great spending a day with this group of players and to learn a bit about their cricket and life journeys.
“There’s no doubt we had some high-quality community cricketers involved, from various metropolitan and regional competitions. We had a couple of fast bowlers pushing the 130kmph mark and a handful of guys who showed they could hit some big sixes.
“We had to make some really tough selection decisions – going from the Starting 12, to the Top 6 and then the Final 3.
“But ultimately, it’s up to the people out there to tune in and vote for who they want to be our Renegades Recruit – and who will receive the opportunity to be part of a Renegades Academy squad in the lead up to BBL|12.”
