IN one of the closest counts in recent memory, Dandenong West all-rounder Alex Roberts edged out Steve Spoljaric by a single vote to claim his first Alan Wookey Medal.
Roberts, 29, originally from Durham, England, went on a vote-spree early in the count – taking maximum votes in 10 consecutive matches.
Another two maximum vote-collecting matches later in the count, it came down to the last round of the season – Roberts on 36 votes and Parkfield all-rounder Steve Spoljaric gunning for his third consecutive Wookey Medal on 34 votes.
Spoljaric took 6/31 and 3/24 with the ball against Heinz Southern Districts and a match-winning 25 not out – but only gained two votes, with the three heading to Cobras’ spinner Paul Stockdale. It left Roberts needing a solitary vote in the final match against Buckley Ridges – which he achieved with his 25 and 4/24 enough to win him DDCA Turf 1’s greatest honour.
It caps off a successful switch back to the Dandenong District Cricket Association this season, coming back from Bundoora after previous stints at Beaconsfield in the West Gippsland Cricket Association (WGCA) and Berwick.
Batting primarily at first drop, Roberts has feasted against his Turf 1 opposition – 589 runs at 73.63 with three centuries, against Coomoora (129 not out), Doveton (114) and Heinz Southern Districts (100 not out).
On top of that, Roberts has been a leader of the Bulls’ bowling – taking 28 wickets at 9.39 with three five wicket-hauls.
Spoljaric had another massive year in the DDCA – scoring 704 runs at 88 and 29 wickets at 13.2 to finish second in the count, while Narre Warren’s Ateeq Javid (27) and Buckley Ridges all-rounder Greg Todd (25) rounded out the top four.
