The Seymour Club SDCA cricket season is set to kick off on Saturday 11 October with seven sides vying for the premiership in the A Grade competition. Avenel joins the A Grade ranks following a dominant, title-winning season in the B Grade in 2024-25, with five T20 matches included in the 18 round fixture.

With the season upon us, check out how all seven sides are shaping up ahead of Round 1. The question on everyone’s lips is whether the Tallarook juggernaut can be stopped as it seeks to win four consecutive premierships for the first time in its history, with both Yea and Seymour launching serious challenges over the past 12 months.

Tallarook

2024-25 Position: Premiers

The powerhouse of the competition once again flexed its muscle in the 2024-25 season, just clinching top spot following the end of the Home and Away season before a dominant finals campaign that culminated in a convincing win over Yea in the Grand Final.

However, it was far from one way traffic for Tallarook, who dropped four games throughout the regular season. While Andrew Dundon continues as Coach, Lachlan Watts has stood down as A Grade Captain, to be replaced by eight time premiership player Kal Winnell.

Tallarook’s batting depth will remain a strength in 2025-26, with Josh Rudge leading all comers last season with 688 runs and Lachlan Watts (388 runs), Mitch Itter (384 runs) and Leigh Irving (281 runs), all finishing in the Top 10 runscorers last season.

With the ball Watts, Blake Munari O’Dwyer, Sam Manchester and Kal Winnell all collected over 15 scalps and the bowling stocks will be boosted by the addition of Xavier Arandt who returns to Tallarook following a year at Nagambie.

Once again, will be tough to beat but have a couple of clubs breathing down their neck and eager to knock them off their perch.

Yea Tigers

2024-25 Position: Grand Finalists

After finishing third in 2024-25 Yea took care of Seymour in a very close Semi-Final before going down to Tallarook in the Grand Final. They once again loom as a top challenger for the premiership, with plenty of experience in their line-up, supported by strong junior talent.

Club legend Cam Armstrong has taken on the A Grade coaching responsibilities and will be looking to play a big part on field to drive Yea into the Grand Final once again. Marc Steiner put in some big performances toward the back end of the season and with both Steiner and Armstrong firing, Yea will be as tough a match up as they come.

They will again be skippered by Andrew Butterworth who put together a solid season with the bat but shone with the ball, finishing with 27 wickets at 8.48. He formed a potent spin combination with up and coming leg spinner Edison Waghorn who snagged 22 wickets of his own as a bottom age Under 16 player. Waghorn looks set for a big career and Armstrong is also bullish about Thomas White’s prospects, another junior last season who took 18 wickets in the A Grade competition.

Former junior Jack Christie returns to Tigerland this season and will add some class to both the batting and bowling line ups.

The Tigers know what it takes to have an impact in finals cricket and will be a team to watch again in 2025-26.

Seymour

2024-25 Position: Semi-Finalist

The Maroons topped the ladder for a fair period of last season, before ultimately finishing second and being defeated by Yea in a high scoring Semi-Final.

Retaining most of their list from last season, Seymour will be led by Braidon Horkings who was a potent force with the ball, well supported by Daniel Bergowicz, Hugh Smith, Lachlan Drummond and Brodey Pointon.

With the bat, it was Drummond who stood above the rest, finishing the regular season with the second most runs in the competition. Veteran Jason Brown wound back the clock once again, notching over 300 runs in a fantastic season.

Seymour prides itself on fielding a side each week with great depth across all departments. They managed to beat eventual Premiers twice during the season and have quality performers throughout their squad.

They’ll be looking for a couple of players to step their games up a notch to challenge for the premiership but once again they are as good a chance as any at finishing the year with the top prize.

Pyalong

2024-25 Position: Semi-Finalist

Last season was a historic one for Pyalong, playing finals for the first time since joining the A Grade competition. Despite going down to Tallarook in the Semi-Final there are plenty of positives to take away from last season.

James Hadjiloukas had an immediate impact with the bat in his first season in the SDCA, making over 250 runs for the season. Having shown his quality, he will lead the club as Coach for the 2025-26 campaign.

Daniel Sowden also stood out through the middle order, making over 300 runs at an average of just under 45, allowing Pyalong to put defendable scores on the board most weeks.

With the ball it was more of a challenge with Matthew Pratt and Mitch Wittig the only two players to finish in the top 20 wicket tackers in the competition.

While they may not head into the season as premiership favourites, on their day Pyalong looks to be a threat for any team in the competition.

Alexandra

2024-25 Position: Fifth

Despite a slow start to the season, Alexandra was able to record some big wins, including a stirring victory over Tallarook, who they bundled out for just 85 on the eve of finals.

With plenty of young talent, Alexandra will be a tough read ahead of the 2025-26 season. Young gun Matthew Wal finished tenth in the competition for runs, with a high score of 92, and James Meggitt just ticked over 200 runs at a more than handy average.

It is with the ball that Alexandra will be looking to add some firepower and consistency. James Geldart led the attack well when on the park and if they’re able to put their best side on the field week in, week out, they’ll certainly be challenging for a top 4 finish.

The future looks bright at Leckie Park with the Alexandra faithful hoping to see another great year of development for the Redbacks.

Puckapunyal

2024-25 Position: Sixth

There will once again be beauty in Puckapunyal’s unpredictability this season, with strong numbers on the training track ahead of Round 1.

Sam Pullen lit up the B Grade competition in 2023-24, including a blistering 105 at Seymour early in the 2024-25 season. Following his departure, Puckapunyal fell away but certainly did not disgrace themselves in their first season in the top flight.

With both A and B Grade sides fielded this season, Puckapunyal has shown great growth and could have some emerging talents in their ranks, dependent on the ongoing rotations through the Army Base.

For stability, they’ll be looking at Jacob Nipperess, who was their best performer with the ball and is capable of troubling the opposition’s top order, and Joel Baker, a reliable performer with the bat and behind the sticks.

It will very much be a matter of wait and see with Puckapunyal, but they could certainly cause some upsets.

Avenel

2024-25 Position: B Grade Premiers



After a dominant B Grade season, Avenel is once again making the step up into the A Grade competition to test themselves against the best.

Across 2024-25, Avenel only dropped a single game and capped off a mighty year with the Premiership. They head into the top tier with Travis Stefanos locked in as Captain/Coach, fresh off the back of 405 runs at an average of close to 60. Not far behind him was Gus Leunig who racked up 367 runs at a touch over 40.

With the ball, Avenel was also dominant, as Jamie Kanters led all B Grade players with 30 wickets, Christian Papi in second with 25 and Oliver Valladares with 20, in fourth.

Avenel’s last foray in the A Grade competition in 2023-24 only netted two wins and a bottom of the ladder finish but they look to be a much more polished outfit with some talented youngsters in their ranks.

Look out for Avenel as a surprise packet with the potential to build something special in the years ahead.