Heinz Southern Districts have added yet another promising young player to their Turf 2 line-up, with Kevin Seth crossing from Premier club Prahran for the remainder of the 2021/22 season.
Having played junior cricket with HSD, Seth first cracked Prahran’s Second XI at just 16 years of age.
The now 19-year-old took 17 wickets at average of 19.59 last season, while also scoring 242 runs playing a mix of Seconds and Thirds.
HSD captain-coach Craig Hookey was thrilled with the acquisition, citing Seth’s age, talent, and former ties to the club as reason for excitement.
“At the start of the season we identified people that played juniors at HSD and people that we wanted to try and get back from Premier cricket that fit our age profile, and ‘Kev’ (Seth) was obviously one of them,” Hookey said.
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“At the Christmas break, someone tipped me off to some information that he was looking to get out of Premier cricket for a little bit – just to refresh, focus on his studies etcetera.
“I made the phone call, spoke to him about how he fitted our mould and he’s the right age for what we want. He has the right experience, he’s the perfect player for what we need – a right-hand top order bat and right-arm opening bowler who has plenty of skills.
“So I spoke to him and he’s committed for the rest of the season at HSD, so it’s good to get a one-pointer back into the system.”
Relegated from the DDCA’s Turf 1 last season, HSD has taken a long-term approach to its recruiting, establishing a young core of players they hope can return them to the association’s top-flight.
Hookey himself is only 25.
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Having won just one of their first four games, the Snakes find themselves sitting in seventh position, a win and percentage outside of the top-four.
The sub-par start hasn’t dampened the mood around the club however, with Turf 2 finals still the goal this season.
“With us currently sitting 1-3, I’d obviously like to have a bit better of a record, but getting new people to gel together has taken a little bit longer than what we would’ve liked on-field,” Hookey said.
“Off-field it’s perfect, but on-field we’re working on it.
“I would say that after Christmas, with the inclusion of Kev and keeping our young list together building, all is looking upwards and positive for the back half of the season to ultimately push for a finals berth.”