Player ‘pitch’ pays off

Glen Atwell
AFTER struggling to field enough players to fill its four competition sides last year, Dandenong and District Cricket Association (DDCA) club St Mary’s decided to launch a secret mission in the off-season, codenamed ‘operation 11’.
The club was hoping to recruit 11 new players to the club, but the hunt for cricketers resulted in 20 new players slipping on the whites for the proud Dandenong-based club.
This enabled the club to keep its four senior sides, as well as field a brand-new one-day side.
Aaron Dragwidge from the turf-one side said the club had picked up some big recruits.
“I guess the veteran turf-one opening batsman Michael Fernando would be the biggest. He has played at three different clubs within the DDCA and hopefully will make St Mary’s his permanent home,” he said.
Ash Henry also joins the club and will bolster the spin-bowling attack as well as strengthen the middle-order batting line-up.
The club is also expecting big things from Brett De Niese this season, the son of DDCA legend Stephen De Niese.
He will open the batting with Fernando and with study commitments out of the way, De Niese turns his full attention to the cricket pitch and has boldly predicted a 500-run season.
Greg Monson joined the club during ‘operation 11’ and the right-arm fast bowler, who has played with district club Hawthorn, is already becoming a cult figure around the club and has reportedly been seen wearing his St Mary’s cap around Dandenong.
– Glen Atwell