Can Sam Batson win a spot on Renegades list?

A Warragul cricketer has premiered in a Melbourne Renegades reality TV series giving a community cricketer the chance to join the club’s playing squad.

Western Park Cricket Club’s Sam Batson battled against nine other players all fighting for a spot on the Renegades list.

The two-part series titled “Renegades Recruit” eliminates competitors over a stretch of challenges before ultimately narrowing to three cricketers. The community is then invited to vote online for the cricketer who they think should make the Big Bash League.

Whilst Batson is unable to reveal the top three, he is rated a strong chance to be featured. 

In the first challenge, 25-year-old Batson ran a two kilometre time trial and won comfortably thanks to work on his fitness. He then bowled to Renegades stars Mackenzie Harvey, Will Sutherland and Jake Fraser-McGurk, and was later put through intense questioning from the head coach.

Although Batson prefers to bowl, playing as an all-rounder at his Western Park helped him significantly.

“Some guys could only bowl or they could only bat, and then some guys struggled with the fitness stuff or the fielding stuff,” Batson said.

The competitors were nominated for the show by their local clubs or associations, and were then handpicked by Renegade staff.

While Batson performed well in every challenge, he will still need to make the top three and then win the audience’s hearts over.

“It’s one of those things that could go my way or might not, it’s basically a popularity contest really,” Batson said.

If successful, Batson will accompany the Renegades on their trip to Darwin where they’ll compete in the Strike League competition.

The first episode is available on Kayo’s streaming service and the Melbourne Renegades social media channels. The community will be invited to pick their top cricketer when the second episode airs on Thursday.