Above: Springvale South gloveman Glenn Tyrer, second from right, and his teammates had plenty to celebrate early in the summer, but the Bloods fell away to surrender their Turf One premiership to Berwick.By Paul Pickering
THE Dandenong District Cricket Association season came to a dramatic climax earlier this month, with Berwick dethroning Springvale South to claim its second Turf One premiership in three years.
But while the trophy has returned to the City of Casey, the local clubs were again prominent in the DDCA’s top league.
In this Turf One 2007/08 review, Paul Pickering reflects on the season that was for clubs in the Dandenong region.
@BT Sub Sport News:Springvale South
Finished: Second (semi-finalist)
Highlights: The reigning Turf One premiers were undefeated before Christmas, winning their first six games to hold Berwick at bay during the first half of the season.
Captain-coach Craig Slocombe got the Bloods off to a perfect start with a ton in Springvale South’s 13-run demolition of Turf Two premiers Coomoora in round one.
Slocombe, who scored 556 runs at an average of 57 this summer, was among three Bloods’ players selected in the DDCA Team of the Year, with batting all-rounder Andrew Sharp (499 runs at 79.3) and vetean quick Nick Bole-Brown (24 wickets at an average of 19.3) also making the elite 11.
Springvale South also progressed to the final of the state-wide VB Cup 20/20 competition in February, earning the opportunity to strut their stuff on the hallowed turf of the MCG.
Lowlights: After starting 2008 with a victory over St Mary’s on 12 January, the Bloods didn’t return to the winners’ list until the final round in March.
The low point was a six-wicket loss to Narre Warren in round 10.
All-stars: Craig Slocombe, Andrew Sharp, Nick Bole-Brown.
@BT Sub Sport News:North Dandenong
Finished: Third (runners-up)
Highlights: Chased down Springvale South’s formidable semi-final total of 289 to secure a grand final berth, with Sri Lankan import Carman Mapatuna notching up a crucial century to lead his team to victory.
They began the summer by skittling Parkfield for 85 in round one, the first of four occasions when North Dandy would dismiss opposition sides for less than 100.
Skipper Adrian Baltruschaitis (326 runs and 16 wickets) led his team admirably, while Mapatuna (389 and 11) was dangerous with both bat and ball.
Lowlights: Aside from the obvious disappointment of losing the grand final, North Dandy’s lowest ebb was a 93-run loss to Coomoora in round three, making them the Roos first victim since returning to Turf One.
All stars: Adrian Baltruschaitis, Carman Mapatuna, Shane Clark.
@BT Sub Sport News:Parkfield
Finished: Fourth (semi-finalist)
Highlights: Daniel Ferguson’s hat-trick against Buckley Ridges in round five.
Ferguson, who took 24 wickets this summer, snared 5/57 that day and the Bears romped it in.
In the same match, club president Tony Payne scored a vintage unbeaten century, highlighting another stellar season that reaped 265 runs at an average of 60.8.
Parkfield’s most memorable victory was a nail-biting 13-run triumph over Berwick in round two.
Lowlights: A week after the Berwick boil-over, Parkfield suffered the indignity of a 128-run thrashing at the hands of Springvale South.
Berwick again. This time the minor premiers had little trouble overhauling Parkfield’s disappointing total of 164 in the semi-final.
All stars: Brad Houghton, Daniel Ferguson, Tony Payne.
@BT Sub Sport News:Buckley Ridges
Finished: Sixth
Highlights: Wes Nicholas’ astonishing match figures of 14/54 in a dramatic round four win over St Mary’s.
The highly-touted tweaker claimed 8/33 in the second innings as Buckley Ridges pressed for outright victory.
That haul went a large way towards Nicholas earning the spinner’s spot in the Team of the Year.
Another high point was the club’s Twenty20 grand final win over Narre Warren, when a rapid half century from opener Daniel Watson guided Ridges to a commanding total of 193.
Watson led the way this summer with 469 runs (including Twenty20 matches) and 12 wickets at an average of 18.
Lowlights: A heart-breaking final round loss to Springvale South that ultimately cost Buckley Ridges a finals berth.
Watson scored 124 in Ridges declared tally of 9/284, only to watch Bloods skipper Craig Slocombe (110 not out) guide his team home with two wickets to spare.
All stars: Daniel Watson, Wes Nicholas, Ruwan Jayadeva.
@BT Sub Sport News:Keysborough
Finished: Eighth
Highlights: Recorded the only outright victory of the Turf One season by skittling St Mary’s twice in round three.
The 10-wicket win was spearheaded by five-for’s to first-year skipper Paul McDonald and Mahshan Perera and a classy ton from Shiran Rajakaruna.
Keysborough won its last two games to escape imminent relegation.
Perera was the shining light, taking 29 wickets at 15.6 to earn a spot in the DDCA Team of the Year.
Lowlights: Went almost three months without a victory in the middle of the summer.
After the third-round outright, Keysborough didn’t record another win until mid-February.
The darkest day during that lean run was 19 January, when Keysborough was bundled out for 87 by the visiting Parkfield Bears.
All-stars: Mahshan Perera, Shiran Rajakaruna, Nilan Wijesinghe.
@BT Sub Sport News:St Mary’s
Finished: Tenth
Highlights: Beat Berwick – the eventual premiers – by four wickets in round 10, making St Mary’s one of only two sides to steal the points from the Bears all season.
Troy Cashman and Luke Byron were the heroes that day, scoring a pair of 96s as the Saints chased down Berwick’s total of 285, while Andrew Borgonha scored the winning runs with a massive six.
The bowling highlight was undoubtedly Emmanuel Coomaraswamy’s 8/67 against Keysborough in round two.
Young English all-rounder Jake Needham proved to be a revelation with bat and ball, scoring 297 runs and taking 21 wickets at an average of 16.
Lowlights: A couple of demoralising losses.
First, it was an outright pasting at the hands of Keysborough in round three, when the Saints were dismissed for 88.
A five-wicket loss to wooden-spooners Dandenong West in round eight was no easier to swallow.
All-stars: Jake Needham, Emmanuel Coomaraswamy, Troy Cashman.
@BT Sub Sport News:Coomoora
Finished: Eleventh
Highlights: Secured 12 premiership points in one weekend in January, when they defeated Narre Warren and Parkfield in consecutive one-dayers.
Those wins accounted for half of the Roos tally for the entire season.
Captain-coach Rohan Paulpillai notched up 104 in round three as Coomoora defeated eventual runners-up North Dandenong by 93 runs.
Lowlights: Received a hostile welcome back to Turf One on the first day of the season, when Springvale South’s batsmen victimised the Roos on their way to a total of 9/360.
They went on to lose by 130 runs in their return to the top grade.
Equally demoralising was a six-wicket loss to Dandenong West in round seven.
Coomoora lost its last three matches, slumping to within three points of a return to Turf Two.
All-stars: Matthew Wenke, Rizan Mawzoon, Rohan Paulpillai.
@BT Sub Sport News:Dandenong West
Finished: Twelfth
Highlights: Few and far between for the wooden spooners, but back-to-back wins over Coomoora and St Mary’s in January was a handy start to 2008.
The latter of those wins was a dramatic victory over St Mary’s, when the Bulls chased down the Saints’ 171 with five balls to spare in a rain-shortened 32-over match.
Adam Mason’s crisp glove-work saw him selected as the wicketkeeper in the DDCA Team of the Year.
He took 21 catches to go with a solid output of 156 runs at 22.3 for the season.
Lowlights: The loss that hurt the most was a final-round heartbreaker against Doveton that condemned the Bulls to relegation.
Needing a win to emerge from the Turf One cellar, the bowlers had no answer to Doves skipper and Wookey medallist Brad Downe, who scored 66 to carry his side past Dandy West’s meagre total of 127.
All-stars: Adam Mason, Matt Meehan, Glen Scales.
