By ROY WARD
DANDENONG West star Alex Roberts has long aspired to win the Alan Wookey Medal. Last Monday he achieved his goal.
The 29 year old won the medal as the fairest and best player in the DDCA Turf 1 competition, beating Parkfield star Steve Spoljaric by a vote. Spoljaric won the past two medals.
Roberts, who hails from England but has been in Australia for several years, said he was elated to finally win the honour in his third season of DDCA cricket.
“It was good to come out on the right side as I have finished second twice before,” Roberts said.
“It means a lot, to be honest, the medal has a lot of prestige within the competition and coming back to the competition this season, it was an aim of mine to win the medal.”
Roberts made 589 runs at 73 and took 28 wickets in nine of 11 Turf 1 matches.
He polled 37 votes to Spoljaric’s 36, with the winning vote coming in the final round.
Roberts returned to the DDCA this season after playing with Bundoora last year and Port Melbourne the previous season.
But playing on synthetic pitches with Bundoora proved the reason why Roberts looked to come back to the DDCA and its turf wickets.
Roberts said he was proud to win in a season which featured a number of exceptional players.
“The DDCA gets stronger and stronger each season.
“I’ve played in lots of competitions around the world and as a local competition it is up there with the best of them.
“You have some good ex-first class players, you have a few Kiwi, Sri Lankan and English players so I’m ecstatic to have won.”
Roberts has also ventured into the cricket equipment world, starting his own brand of cricket gear called Rogue Cricket.More information about the brand is available at roguecricket.com.au.
Rogue already sponsors Dandenong West along with a few players in England and Queensland.
■ DDCA Turf 1 minor premiers Mordialloc and in-form Springvale South were battling it out for a place in the grand final yesterday.
After batting first at Ben Kavanagh Reserve, Mordy was bowled out for 142 by the Bloods.
But in response the Bloods batsmen struggled to hold their wickets as Chathura Athukorala (5-27) tore through their top order to leave the visitors on 6-58 at stumps on the first day.
A century from Buckley Ridges keeper Troy Aust (115) had his side well placed to earn the other grand final place finishing on 8-275 from their 90 overs against Dandenong West, who were batting on the second day.
ALAN WOOKEY MEDAL TOP 5:
Alex Roberts, Dandenong West, 37 votes;
Steve Spoljaric, Parkfield, 36 votes;
Ateeq Javed, Narre Warren, 32 votes;
Greg Todd, Buckley Ridges, 25 votes;
Matt Fielding, Dandenong West, 24 votes.
