Surrey skipper spins in

By Paul Pickering
CASEY-South Melbourne has signed 23-year-old Surrey skipper Rory Hamilton-Brown to spearhead its second XI for the remainder of the Premier Cricket season.
The announcement followed the Swans’ heart-stopping win over Geelong in their one-day semi-final on Sunday, capping a great week for the club’s twos.
Hamilton-Brown – a former England under-19 representative and shock appointment as captain of his home county last year – will play exclusively in the seconds, because the club already has two professionals in Damian Wright and English recruit Peter Trego on the books.
His arrival was hailed by Swans coach Mark Ridgway as “a massive coup” for the club.
“He’s a right-hand batsman and off-spin bowler and is going to be able to provide guidance and experience to our second XI, in which the average age of the team is 21,” Ridgway said.
Hamilton-Brown comes via Hong Kong, where he represented England in the Hong Kong Sixes tournament this month.
He will add considerable depth to an already impressive Swans group, which successfully defended its 45-over total of 9/203 against a late Cats rally on Sunday.
First XI regular Matthew Hawking (3/45) sparked the celebrations by taking the 10th Geelong wicket on the fourth delivery of the last over, leaving the visitors two runs short. Mark Boraston (71) and Roshan Livera (65) did the job with the bat.
The Swans will now be looking for the club’s first trophy since 1971 when they play Fitzroy/Doncaster in the one-day final at Schramms Reserve, Doncaster, on 28 November.
Meanwhile, the first XI – washed out against Prahran on Saturday – will begin its two-day clash with Frankston Peninsula at Frankston this Saturday.