With Yarraville’s finals prospects shot, it can start planning its future, one that is unlikely to feature star left arm orthodox spinner Akshat Buch.
Buch has given his all to the Eagles over the past two summers, and emerged as one of the top spin-bowlers of the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association.
His dedication to the Eagles cannot be questioned – he travels all the way from his home in Ferntree Gully, bypassing hundreds of clubs along the way, to call Yarraville Oval home.
“It takes me one and a half hours to get to Yarraville,” Buch said.
“It’s like a family to me at Yarraville.
“Everyone at the club has been really supportive throughout the last two years, and you always have a good time.
“That’s why I came back for the second year.”
With one year left on his visa, Buch has to make the most of his time in Melbourne and think big picture.
The 23-year-old from India has done all he can for Yarraville, taking more than 60 wickets combined in the past two seasons, including 28 at 16.9 in the first XI this season alone.
He has also provided handy runs in the middle order.
But before he returns to his homeland, Buch wants to find out if he can make the grade in Premier Cricket, and that must happen next summer.
“I’ve got one more year on my visa, one more season to go, so we’re probably going to try to look at Premier Cricket, to give it a crack and see how it turns out for me,” Buch said.
“If it’s good season in the Premier, I might look to extend my visa to stay, otherwise I’ll go back to India and play there.
“I definitely want to go to Premier Cricket and have a crack at it.”
If sustained sub-district form is any guide, all 18 Premier Cricket clubs should be lining up to take on Buch.
Buch offers a unique skill set that could prove to be a valuable addition to any club.
“What I’ve seen in sub-district cricket, and wherever I’ve played in Melbourne, most of the teams have a good leg spinner or a good off spinner, but there are very few left arm spinners, so I find myself an addition to an already good bowling attack,” Buch said.
“It gives them the option of a left arm spin, which is quite different and sometimes hard to play when the wickets are turning.”
Buch arrived in Australia as a raw 19-year-old with Hoppers Crossing, when it was part of the VTCA competition.
At the time, then Hoppers Crossing president Steve McNamara predicted Buch “will be a sensation” in years to come.
Yarraville veteran Matthew Love endorsed Buch taking the step up to the next level.
“He’s a ripper with both bat and ball – I think he should have higher aspirations,” Love said in a recent interview.
Buch, a business student at RMIT University, has not given up hope of a career in cricket.
“I’ve got higher aspirations, definitely,” he said. “I want to play at the highest level possible in cricket.
“That’s what I enjoy doing more than working and doing studies.”
