In the last two years, the Hill Top Northern Villages Cricket Club has more than doubled its number of senior teams.
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In 2019/20, just two Hill Top teams played in the Highlands Cricket Association competitions. In 2021/22, the club will field five, including a women's side.
This marks the most teams ever to represent Hill Top in one season. The club's startling growth, president Simon Reid said, was due to good fortune and the influence of some enterprising newcomers.
"We've been building both on and off the field over the course of the last couple of years," Reid said.
"We had two people reach out to us in the off-season. One was a father-son team, looking to start in third grade.
"The other wanted more female teams represented in the area. Lauren Friend, who was playing out at Robertson, put her hand up to come over to us and captain the women's team. It was a great pick-up for us.
"We just got really lucky, more than anything. I think there is a bit of a COVID hangover, with more and more people wanting to play sport after being locked up for anywhere from two months to four months depending on where you live."
Hill Top was one of the teams to beat in the HCA competitions last year, as the only club to make the finals in First, Second, and Third Grade.
This year, Reid believes they have a good chance of repeating that success with the introduction of Dean Roxburgh as club coach.
"Dean started playing his cricket career at Hill Top, and this year we've got him back as our club coach," he said.
"It's the first time we've had a club coach. The big focus is on trying to secure premierships across all the grades, and having Dean on board this year has been a really good, positive start so far."
With a record number of teams involved in Highlands competitions this year, the need for improved facilities became apparent to Reid and the rest of the committee.
To that end, Hill Top recently submitted a grant application for a $137,000 upgrade for the Boronia Park nets.
"Our biggest priority at the moment is getting the facilities to cater to the growth," Reid said.
"So we submitted a grant to the Regional Sports Facilities Fund, and we're hoping to hear a positive outcome for that in December, which would be a big win not only for us as a club, but for the area as a whole."
The club is still looking for more female cricketers to round out their team numbers. If any players or aspiring players are interested, please contact the Hill Top Northern Villages Cricket Club through Facebook, or via email at hilltopnvcc@gmail.com.
Reid also thanked the club's sponsors for their ongoing support.
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