Steve sets new high

By Gavin Staindl
STEVEN Spoljaric was the toast of the local cricketing community after storming home to win the Dandenong and District Cricket Association best-and-fairest medal during the DDCA presentation night last week.
The Parkfield captain/coach polled 23 points from the final four rounds to finish on 43, eight points clear of last year’s runner-up Cory Booth.
Spoljaric registered the highest number of votes in the medal’s 27-year history, after overtaking Booth as the vote leader in round nine.
Heading into the DDCA’s night-of-nights at the Dandenong Club, Spoljaric was the clear favourite to take out the award after finishing the season with 17 wickets and 743 runs at an average of just over 100.
Last year’s winner, Doveton’s Ryan Hendy, finished fourth while the Springvale South duo of Tim Ford and Warren Ayres finished third and fifth respectively.
The two teams preparing for this week’s Turf One grand final, Buckley Ridges and Springvale South, both finished as the highest polled clubs, totalling 91 votes each.