A dream come true: GVBBL export James Seymour plies his trade for the Melbourne Renegades at Marvel Stadium. Photo: AAP Image/James Ross
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JAMES ROSS
When recent Melbourne Renegades recruit James Seymour deposited his first Big Bash League (BBL) delivery from former Australian Test star Peter Siddle over the square leg boundary at Marvel Stadium the other week, the cricket world sat back and wondered — who is this 29-year-old journeyman?
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Little did people know that the talented top-order batter had been a staple of grade cricket in Melbourne and Darwin for the past decade, and more recently took his talents to the Goulburn Valley Bush Bash League (GVBBL) and put on a show for fans of the Cobram Panel Works Panthers.
Playing two seasons for Mark Haberfield’s side, Seymour is best remembered for his power hitting, with one blow that cleared the timekeeper’s box at the Barooga Recreation Reserve standing out in the mind of keen local cricket fans.
The meteoric rise of Seymour from grade cricket to the country’s premier T20 competition truly is the stuff of fairytales and is something Haberfield said he had taken great pride in watching from afar.
“From a Panthers perspective we were stoked to see one of our boys get through and get recruited to one of the Big Bash sides after playing in the GV Bush Bash,” Haberfield said.
“There have been a couple of guys who have been on the squads in the past like Brayden Stepien and Trent Lawford, but to have James be picked up and actually debut is amazing.
“Given the fact he is 29 and has toughed it out playing cricket in summer and winter through Darwin and Melbourne, a lot of kudos has to go to him and the hard work he has put in to get his chance.”
Having tried his hand in cricket leagues all over the country, the GVBBL appealed as another great platform for Seymour to display his skill, with some local connections allowing Haberfield to select the talented top-order batter as a marquee signing.
“With the drafting we are allowed three marquee players and our coach reached out to Isaac Willett who plays down at Essendon and said if you have anyone down there who is interested in a hit let me know and he put James’ name forward,” he said.
“In the first round of the first season we played here in Barooga, James made 90 off about 45 balls and you just knew he was class, so we were quite keen to retain his services last season which we were lucky enough to do and he was just a great part of our team both on and off the field.”
Setting it alight: James Seymour enjoyed an excellent two-year stint with the Cobram Panel Works Panthers in the GVBBL.
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Rodney Braithwaite
Going from playing Bush Bash cricket 12 months ago to now playing a key role in Victoria’s first-class set-up, including striking a maiden Sheffield Shield century last month, Seymour’s story also serves as a major boost to the GVBBL’s reputation as a genuine pathway to professional cricket.
Haberfield said local cricketers should take great confidence out of the fact that some good performances in the Bush Bash could lead to higher honours.
“The guys that we drafted into our squad need to understand that they probably aren’t that far away when it comes to Premier cricket in Melbourne and then the next step up which is state cricket,” he said.
“The cream of the crop up here is good enough to mix it with the Premier boys, so the standard of what we are producing here should be recognised and held in high regard and we just wish we could get some more quality cricketers from leagues such as Bendigo and Cricket Albury-Wodonga.”
He also took the chance to outline a few players who could take the leap this summer and potentially follow in Seymour’s footsteps.
“Izac Artavilla is a Cobram local who has been drafted to the Panthers and we are stoked to see what he can do with that step up, we believe he should be going down to the city so seeing him get a chance to play against those players, the calibre of James, they play up to the level,” he said.
“Andrew Hogan is another one from Deniliquin, he hit the most sixes last season, and is another one that will just thrive playing against those high-quality players.
“The league is doing great things for so many local cricketers and huge credit must go to David D’Elia for making it happen and giving so many guys a great opportunity.”
