ANOTHER weekend of Victoria Premier Cricket Premier Men’s Firsts has wrapped, with plenty of impressive performances around the competition. In this series, we put the spotlight on one individual performance that may have caught the eye of teammates, opponents and fans alike. With plenty to choose from each week, it is worth mentioning that there will be some unlucky players that miss out on a weekly basis.

This week, that status belongs to Kingston Hawthorn bowler Zack Richardson, who took figures of 4/43 in the win over Ringwood on Saturday. In his team’s four-wicket triumph, Richardson took some crucial scalps, dismissing almost the entire top order to keep Ringwood to a lower score, which Kingston Hawthorn were later able to chase down in the required time.

Mighty as that performance was, the Player of the Week award for Round 16 goes to Fitzroy Doncaster all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, who delivered a stunning knock against Geelong on the weekend. Maxwell returned to the side following the conclusion of the Big Bash League (BBL) to give the Lions a bit of star power as the 2021/22 season heats up. They are currently sitting around the bottom of the top-eight, so Maxwell’s boost will be crucial, as displayed on the weekend.

Maxwell came in after opener Noah Korkolis was dismissed for a duck and the Lions were on the back foot. The Melbourne Stars skipper displayed his class from the get-go, getting up to a half century in no time. Since he walked out to the crease, the Lions found themselves steadied, as Maxwell formed a strong partnership with Liam Banthorpe as they got their side up to a strong run rate.

The marquee batsman played an aggressive innings, finding the boundaries 19 times, which was made up of 14 fours and five sixes. He finished with 122 runs from just 90 deliveries in a magnificent return for the international superstar. While he may not appear in the team for the entire season, the Lions will be thrilled to have his input wherever possible.