By JARROD POTTER
WINNING his third Alan Wookey Medal – awarded to the Dandenong District Cricket Association’s (DDCA) Turf 1 Best and Fairest – was a significant honour for Steve Spoljaric, but the Parkfield all-rounder had other things on his mind this weekend.
Spoljaric has continued his prodigious streak of form in the DDCA – smashing 565 runs and taking 23 wickets to help his Parkfield side make the semi-finals for the first time since he arrived at the club in the 2010/11 season.
The personal accolades are always appreciated for the dominant all-rounder, but his sights this season are set on a different prize.
“Obviously got a couple of them but more importantly this year is to win the league,” Spoljaric said. “That’s part of the reason I got there… to help us win a league.
“From the first year I was here I played with practically the same premiership side but the year after that, they had all retired… now we’re rebuilding.
“It’s more satisfying for me if we can win this title and we’re a good chance I would’ve thought.
“We’ve snuck in under the radar when really – if you look at how we’ve been winning our games – we’ve been winning them quite comfortably and we’ve been playing really, really well.”
On the individual side of the ledger – Spoljaric rated the six-wicket haul against Heinz Southern Districts in the last home and away match and his century against Springvale South earlier in the season as his best for the season.
“The ‘six-for’ in the last game – at the time we knew with a loss we were probably out and a win would probably get us in, so I suppose that one,” Spoljaric said.
“And the hundred against Springy when we were 5/30 and I was batting with a couple of the younger fellows – boys like Jack Jones and Dan Banhidi, the three of us put on nearly 200 after we were 5/30.”
His 33 votes put him 10 clear for the Alan Wookey Medal to make it three association best and fairest awards in four years, having only been edged out last season by Dandenong West’s Alex Roberts by a single vote.
He adds his third Alan Wookey Medal to a trophy cabinet including the prestigious Jack Ryder Medal, which he won in 2007/08 while playing Premier Cricket for Hawthorn-Monash University.
Spoljaric said the pitch at Parkfield Reserve played a great part in his success this season and wanted to thank the City of Greater Dandenong curating staff for preparing top notch facilities every round.
The Parkfield captain finished well ahead of Heinz Southern Districts’ Michael Davies (23) and Lyndale opener Jaime Brohier (22).
